A Lion in a Cage
by Sashi Mizumoto
Summary: Chapter 5: Hermione must save Sirius from being expelled, James and Lily are unconcious, and Hermione is kidnapped by Lucius and Severus? And who will save her?
1. Chapter 1

**A Lion in a Cage**

**By Sashi Mizumoto**

**A/N:** Yay! It's about time I wrote a Time Travel fanfiction! I'm so excited! The only problem is, I don't want to make this sound stupid or cliché. So, if anyone has suggestions, feel free to send them away! In addition, I won't reply to reviewers anymore, because it takes up too much time to write a response to EVERY review. Moreover, I want to write this as quickly as possible. Now, about the story. Do not be fooled by the beginning. This WILL end up as a Remus/Hermione story, I PROMISE. You just gotta trust me with this. Please? Ok! Start story NOW!

**Dedication:** This is dedicated to my good friend Laura, who has been my friend for about eight years. I hope she likes this, and I hope she likes the little surprise I have for her in this chapter. : )

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. If I did own it, I would give Remus a bigger part. And introduce him in the first book.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1

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Hermione dragged her trunk behind her, grunting a bit at the immense weight. She was starting to slow down when she spotted the rather large crimson train. She grinned and shook her head slightly in disbelief. She was finally starting her seventh, and last, year at Hogwarts. As was expected from the Gryffindor house, and pretty much everyone who knew her, or at least of her, she was elected as the Head Girl. Her badge glistened brightly in the sun, as if boasting her position of order to the rest of the world.

She plopped her trunk on the ground and wiped her sweaty brow. As she bent down to pick it up again, callous covered hands covered her small and sleek hands gently. She twisted her head quickly in surprise, only to cause a slight twinge run down her neck. She cringed inwardly, and was shocked to see Harry standing behind her. Her mouth instantly curled into a smile and she let go of the trunk hurriedly, immediately throwing her arms around Harry. He stepped back under her weight and smiled, instantly returning the hug.

"Oh Harry, it feels like it's been forever since I've seen you!"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Hermione, this summer has felt long to me too. At least I'll never have to go back to the Dursley's. Thank god." Since Sirius had died, Harry had been going through hell at the Dursley's extremely clean house. They had mocked him about the death, leaving deep scars over his heart. However, he had been saved by the fact that this was his last summer at this dreadful hellhole. After this year ended, he had made plans with Ron to stay at the Burrow until he could afford to get his own apartment in London. Naturally, the Dursley's had made no arguments against this. They wanted him out of the house and out of their lives as soon as possible.

In a lovingly, brotherly fashion, Harry ruffled the top of Hermione's hair playfully. Though she faked anger, she smiled, letting down her façade of annoyance.

"Harry, stop! You know how much that bothers me! Though I doubt anything could make my hair worse." Hermione had hardly changed in appearance since first year. Her hair was still bushy and thick, as well as unmanageable. She had finally grown, but she was still immensely shorter than Harry and Ron, who had seemed to leap in height in their sixth year, and both were now at least five inches taller than her.

Harry picked up Hermione's trunk and groaned. "Jeez Hermione, what do you have in here? It's so bloody heavy!" Hermione looked irritated at Harry's use of language, but she pushed it away to answer his question. "Well, I'm taking a lot of classes this year. I have to make sure I do well this year so I can become an Auror!"

In sixth year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had made a pact to become Aurors together to fight against all evil, namely Voldemort. Though it had sounded somewhat childish at the time, and no one believed that they would ever stay together as friends for the rest of their lives, they had held strong to this promise, and they were all taking the same classes now. They knew they had to succeed. Though Neville was the other choice to kill Voldemort, they knew he would never be able to do it. While he had grown more of a backbone in recent years, he was still somewhat skittish and shy. Harry, on the other hand, was much more outgoing and courageous. Though everyone still remained on guard about this. After all, there was always the slightest of chances that Neville really could defeat Voldemort.

"I even had to get my Time-Turner back for this year! I hope I remember how to use it though." In her third year at Hogwarts, Hermione had been given a Time-Turner so that she could attend all of her classes. It was a small necklace with a small hourglass filled with golden sand. If turned correctly, the person using it could go back in time, usually only a few hours or minutes back though.

Harry was about to tell Hermione something, but just as he opened his mouth, a red flash passed by him and ran into Hermione at a blinding speed. She screeched and didn't even have to look up to know who this was.

"Ronald Weasley, if you don't get off me within the next five seconds, I'm hexing you straight into the Infirmary Wing!" Knowing that she really would carry out her threat, Ron scrambled off Hermione as quickly as he could. She sat up and brushed the gravel that was clinging to her back and grasped the hand that Ron had extended towards her.

Ron was still as lanky as the day Hermione had met him. He had buckled down a bit on his schoolwork, but he usually just forgot about it until the last second. Recently, Hermione had become more aware of the fact that there was some slight tension between Ron and her. Therefore, a few days ago, she had decided that she would confront Ron about the matter. However, it always seemed as if a force was making sure the two of them never had a chance to speak alone, and this frustrated her a bit.

The trio pushed their way onto the train and feverishly looked for an empty compartment. As Head Girl, Hermione would have to patrol the train every hour for about 10 minutes, so it wasn't as though she would be sitting much anyway. Finally, they found a place to rest in the very back of the train. As they settled down in their seats, Ron turned towards Hermione, who was sitting across from him.

"Sorry again for running into you 'Mione." Hermione shook her head, waving his apology away with her hand. "It's fine Ron, it's fine." She brushed a stray hair away from her face and turned to Harry, who looked extremely tired.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Harry shook his head, pushing a smile to the front of his face. "I'm fine 'Mione. I've just been overworking myself a little bit. I promise that I'll rest when we get to Hogwarts." Hermione wanted to probe more into the matter and find out what he had been working on, but was silenced by the gentle kick that Ron gave her leg. She decided instead to look out the window and watch the passing scenery. Before she knew it, the hypnotizing view of the trees made her fall into a deep slumber.

* * *

Hermione awakened to the sounds of Harry and Ron's voices as well as someone else's, though she couldn't figure out whom. She rubbed her eyes and her vision cleared, revealing five boys standing before her. Two of them were Ron and Harry, who were already decked out in their Hogwarts robes. The other three shocked her a little. Fred and George Weasley stood tall, arguing with Draco Malfoy. Though she was curious as to why Fred and George were there, she realized that the confrontation between the boys could get ugly, so she whipped her wand out of her pocket and stepped forward, hoping that she could resolve this without having to resort to using her wand in the first place.

"What's going on here? Malfoy, if you're here to cause a disturbance, I shall have to give you a detention!" Draco glared at Hermione with his ice-cold gray eyes and a smirk curled onto his face.

"So the stupid little Mudblood finally woke up. Oh, don't make that face Granger! You're the reason I'm here anyway." The boys turned towards Hermione and she shook her head in confusion and shrugged. Draco sighed in aggravation and pointed at her Head Girl badge. She looked down and then back up at him.

"Did you forget? We were supposed to patrol the train. I had to do it by myself until I found you! Now get off your arse and do your job you lazy Mudblood!" Hermione was surprised that the boy who had always been one of the causes of the trio's problems was lecturing her. Deciding that she was too mature to argue with Draco, she sat up and walked out of the compartment, hearing his light footsteps behind her. Before she got too far away from her friends however, she jogged back to the compartment and smiled at her friends.

"Now don't think you four have gotten away from me! And Fred, George, I'll find out why you two are here later!" She ran back into the narrow pathway and saw Draco's blonde hair as he turned the corner. She followed him, calling his name. "Malfoy, get back here! If you didn't want to go alone, why didn't you come get me earlier?" Malfoy stopped in his tracks and turned sharply on his heel so he was now facing her. He just stared at her for a moment, but it was enough to silence Hermione's incessant questions. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he continued on his way, not even checking to see if she was doing what she was supposed to be doing. Hermione hadn't even realized that Draco was even Head Boy until now, or why she was listening to what he was saying.

* * *

By the time she got back to her compartment at the end of the train, Hogwarts was appearing on the horizon. People were rushing through the narrow path to talk to friends or to buy a last minute snack from the trolley. Hermione almost had to push her way through just so she wouldn't be trampled on. She roughly pushed the door open to find that smoke steadily yet strongly came floating from the compartment. Horrified, she immediately pulled out her wand and muttered a spell that quickly made the light gray clouds disperse. Fred and George's faces were covered in soot, and it looked as though the edge of Ron's robes were burned. Harry looked unharmed, though his face showed surprise. Hermione just shook her head and decided that perhaps it was best if she didn't ask. She was still, however, curious as to why Fred and George were there in the first place.

"Fred, George, why are you two here exactly?" Fred and George exchanged a quick look before turning towards Hermione and smiling. "Well, Dumbledore actually asked us to come. We weren't exactly sure if we'd exactly be welcomed back with open arms, but we thought it would be fun to come back and cause a little mischief." Hermione sighed and, realizing she wouldn't be able to get anything remotely serious from the twins, turned to Harry.

"You know Harry, I won't do all of your schoolwork for you this year! Or you either Ron! You two have to start doing your own work and taking your own notes! I won't always be there to help you!" She gave them a small smile before picking up Crookshanks, who was glaring angrily at the Weasley twins, and walked out the door.

* * *

Hogwarts was still as majestic and grand as when Hermione had first seen it. It seemed to loom dangerously high, as though the tops of the towers were reaching for the twinkling stars. In the distance, the Forbidden Forest was blending in smoothly with the pitch-black sky. As she stepped off the train, Crookshanks snuggly into her arms, and Hermione glanced forward to see how the seventh years would be getting to the castle. As Harry came up behind her, along with the three Weasley boys, Hagrid's deep voice could be heard throughout the large crowd.

"First years! First years over 'ere!" Harry turned his head and ran towards Hagrid while the three Weasley boys decided to talk to Hermione.

"So 'Mione, how have you been? Did you miss us much?" Fred smiled at Hermione and she responded by simply rolling her eyes. Ron stepped forward, his ears reddening with each step. "Don't listen to him 'Mione, he's an idiot. Anyway, we don't have time to talk to them. We have to get to school!" Ron took Hermione's hand gently in his and dragged her away from the Weasley twins. They each waved goodbye before turning, smirking all the while. Harry, who had been talking to Hagrid about his summer, caught up to Hermione and Ron and took Hermione's other free hand. The three friends looked around, wondering how they were to get to Hogwarts. Their question was answered almost immediately as dark silhouettes came from the sky. Hermione backed up as a large Pegasus landed gracefully in front of them. Hermione, who now had a large smile on her face, held her hand up, and slowly walked towards the beautiful creature standing before them. The Pegasus gladly nuzzled his face into the palm of her hand and Hermione accidentally let a giggle slip out of her mouth. Harry and Ron were somewhat surprised, as she had never seemed to be the kind of person to let out a giggle at all, let alone so easily. However, when she realized that she was going to be riding the Pegasus to get to Hogwarts, Hermione's joy seemed to fade instantly. Hermione had had a great fear of flying ever since she had watched Harry protect Neville's Rememberall in their first year.

Harry, seeing Hermione's obvious discomfort at the idea of flying, offered a compromise for her that might make her feel a bit more comfortable. "'Mione, how about you sit in the middle? That way, both Ron and I will be able to protect you in the rare chance that you actually do fall off. I'll sit in the front, and Ron can sit in the back. Does that make you feel any better?" Hermione nodded, though Ron's beet red face suggested that maybe he would be that wouldn't be okay with this idea. Harry lifted himself with ease onto the large white horse, which had not even leaned down to try and make this any easier for them. He held out his hand towards Hermione, who seemed hesitant to grasp it. It was only when Crookshanks leapt onto the horse that Hermione felt she could do it as well. Ron knelt down on his knees and held out his hands for Hermione to use as a lift to get on. She tenderly placed her foot in his hands and felt herself being lifted in the air. Quickly, she took Harry's hand, and Harry wrapped his hand around Hermione's slender waist, turning her so that she was now behind him. She hastily wrapped her arms around Harry's waist with a death grip and Harry couldn't help but smile. He had never been told as to why Hermione was afraid of flying, but he had always thought it was a little bit cute.

Ron clumsily crawled onto the Pegasus and felt Hermione lean her head against his chest in a sleepy manner. He placed his arms awkwardly around her waist and his ears seemed to glow in the night as brightly as Rudolph's nose. Crookshanks had buried his claws into Hermione's robes, and he did not look like he was about to let go. As soon as the friends were seated comfortably, the Pegasus started to flap his wings, a gush of wind flying through the air. Hermione had her eyes tightly clamped shut, determined not to look down. Harry was leaning forward, enjoying the breeze of fresh air that had eluded him for months now. Ron was in awe at the beautiful scenery that lay before them. The flight felt too short to the friends, but before they knew it, they were at the main entrance of Hogwarts.

Harry slipped off the Pegasus first, and held out his hands to Hermione. Ron, who thought that this was meant for him, leaned forward which resulted in a painful fall for him. Hermione smiled, shaking her head. She knew he would be okay though, so she didn't really worry that much. She looked back at Harry and fell into his arms, glad that it wasn't her with her face in the ground. Crookshanks shuddered at the sudden fall and hissed loudly, scratching Harry's cheek. He glared at the cat and Hermione immediately apologized. As Ron pushed himself up and wiped the dirt off his cloak, the friends walked their way into Hogwarts. The biggest change was that the hallways didn't seem as big as they did when they first entered the school in their first year. This was probably because of their growth in height.

Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table the minute she stepped into the Great Hall. She still felt a bit drowsy from her earlier nap. As the rest of the students sat themselves down, Professor Dumbledore stepped up to the front of the faculty's table and cleared his throat and the students ceased their chatting. Dumbledore gave the students a small smile and his light blue eyes glistened mischievously behind his glasses.

"Welcome to the first day of the Hogwarts year. For those of you who don't know me, I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of the school. As always, the Forbidden Forest is strictly prohibited to students. Also, I would like to announce this year's Head Boy and Girl: Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger." At the mentioning of Malfoy's name, the Slytherin table stood and applauded, Pansy Parkinson shrieking his name and giggling. However, when Hermione's name was said, the Gryffindor table (as well as Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw) applauded happily and shouted. Fred and George cheered and lifted up two innocent little first years and spun them around, making them scream even louder. Harry and Ron patted her on the shoulders enthusiastically, and Hermione felt herself blush with embarrassment and modesty. As the cheering finally ended, Dumbledore resumed what he had to say.

"This year at Hogwarts, I am sad to say, there will be no Hogsmeade trips. The Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley, has decided that the trips would leave students easily open to attacks made by Voldemort." The students gasped, and Hermione wasn't sure if it was because there would be no Hogsmeade trips, or if it was the fact that Dumbledore had said the forbidden name. However, Dumbledore ignored the outbursts and continued with his speech.

"However, because we have to give up our trips to Hogsmeade, we will be having a somewhat special event for all four houses. Every week, houses will combine and spend the entire week together. Let me clarify this with an example. Perhaps the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses will combine in one common room and dormitories just as Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw would. After all four houses have been with each other, we start the cycle over again. This is meant to be an exercise to strengthen our bonds in the event that something of an unpleasant nature would occur." No one needed to be told that by 'unpleasant nature', he meant a surprise attack from Voldemort.

"This week, Gryffindor and Slytherin houses will combine, as will Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Gryffindors and Slytherins will be residing in the Gryffindor dormitories, and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws will be residing in the Ravenclaw dormitories. After dinner, the houses will meet together and will be escorted to their sleeping quarters by prefects and/or Head Boy and Girl. Now, if anyone objects, I say we should commence the meal." Many secretly did object (mostly the Slytherins, who never wanted to be anywhere near the Gryffindors and vice versa), but no one wanted to say anything against Dumbledore, so the room remained silent. Dumbledore smiled and waved his hand, food appearing in front of the students.

As he ate, Ron yelled across the table at George and Fred, little bits of bread pudding escaping from his lips. Hermione shuddered and tapped his shoulder. He turned towards her, pieces of the bread pudding now sticking to the sides of his mouth. With a sigh, she picked up his unused napkin and wiped his mouth clean. Ron blushed at this sudden gesture, and Fred and George snickered from their seats. Harry also chuckled, though quickly stopped and turned away when Ron gave him a glare. When Hermione finished, Ron pouted, though he was happy that she cared enough to take care of him like that. Those small actions made him feel happy. When the tittering of laughter ended, Hermione turned once again towards Ron, who had gone back to eating. She was not done with him yet.

"Ron, there's something I wanted to ask you for awhile now." Ron let out an indifferent 'Uh-huh' while hurriedly packing mashed potatoes into his mouth. Angry that he was not paying attention to her while she was talking about such an important subject, she threw her napkin at the side of his face. Though it clearly didn't hurt, Ron couldn't resist letting a little yelp of pain escape from his lips. Hermione rolled her eyes and watched as Ron swallowed the last remaining bits of potatoes.

"What do you want 'Mione? Those were really good potatoes!" Hermione inwardly moaned, wondering how he could pass the final exams when all he could think about was food. Pushing past her discouragement, she continued. "Ron, why have you been so, distant with me?" Ron put down his fork, surprised at this allegation. "Hermione, why would you even think this?" When Ron used Hermione's full name, anyone could tell that he was being nothing short of serious. He wiped his hand on his napkin and patted her gently on the head. "Don't be silly 'Mione, I thought you were smarter than that. Come on, give me a smile!" Hermione knew that she couldn't resist, and she flashed him a big grin with her pearly white teeth. He smiled as well and gave her an awkward hug with one arm before returning to his meal. Hermione turned to her own untouched meal and felt much happier than she had earlier, though he hadn't actually answered her question.

* * *

Once the meal had finished, Dumbledore had all the plates cleared by the house elves. Dobby had come to say hello to Harry and show off his new socks. After the students chatter died down, Dumbledore cleared his throat for a second time that night. "Now, I think it's best if we all go to bed. Prefects, Head Boy and Girl, please show the students to their dormitories. Remember, Gryffindors and Slytherins shall be staying in the Gryffindor dormitories and the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws shall be residing in the Ravenclaw dormitories." Harry and Ron groaned loudly, having forgotten this during their meal. Fred and George however looked pleased. Hermione threw them a questioning look and they grinned sheepishly.

"Well, this might be put to our advantage. Remember ickle Ronnikiens, if the Slytherins stay in OUR tower, we can do whatever we want to them and be able to hide easily! We know the territory better than they do!" Ron stopped to think about this for a moment before grinning evilly. "That's right! This could be fun after all!" Harry however, did point out a flaw in the plan. "Won't it be the same for us when we go to stay with the Slytherins though? We'll be like the lions in the cages, not knowing what exactly to do." Fred and George nodded. "Yes, this COULD happen too. But remember, we're smarter than all of the Slytherins put together! Especially Hermione, she's a bloody genius!" Frowning, she shook her head. "Don't say that word, it's so crude." However, she did grin at the compliment.

She stood up and began leading people to the Gryffindor Tower. Before she could leave the Great Hall, however, a hand gripped itself around Hermione's arm and pulled her back. She turned to see Draco's cold glare and she felt herself frown despite her good mood from before. Draco was just like that, making everyone's good thought and feelings disappear. 'He's like a dementor,' Hermione thought. "What do you want Malfoy?" He nodded his head back at the hundreds of Slytherins following him. "In case you can't see, we don't know where we're going." Hermione could see obvious annoyance on his face. Did it disappoint him that he didn't know how to get to the Gryffindor tower? Either way, she knew it was her duty to show him where to go. After all, she was the Head Girl. She had to do what the Headmaster asked, and no matter how much it bothered her, she would fulfill it to the best of her abilities. And not only that, she trusted as well as respected Professor Dumbledore, and knew that he would never put them in any danger. He was Hogwarts' protector.

As Hermione trudged up the stairs, she was talking happily with Ron, Harry, Fred, and George. "So Fred, George, is this the only reason why you two are here? To come and torture the Slytherins?" Fred and George looked at each other before turning back to Hermione and smiling, nodding enthusiastically. She sighed, smiling. "You two are so immature!" As the two houses finally reached the Fat Lady, Hermione went up to her and whispered the new password in her ear. Dumbledore had told her during dinner, and though he had said it was not necessary to whisper, Hermione knew she would have to, or else Slytherins would be invading their common room all of the time. As the painting moved, Hermione briskly walked in and was greeted with the warm toasty feeling of home that she had sorely missed. The fireplace had been lit, and the chairs looked as comfortable as ever. As the groups walked in, the Slytherins looked around in earnest curiosity. They were not used to something as bright and warm as this. Hermione pointed up the long stairways across the room.

"Girls, your sleeping quarters are on the right, boys, yours are on the left. I hope you all have a good night's sleep. If you have any questions please come to me, the Head Girl, or Malfoy, the Head Boy. We will be staying in different dormitories because of our given positions. Your trunks are already up in your rooms! Good night everyone!" Everyone dispersed slowly into their rooms, with the exceptions of Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Hermione, and Draco. The first four mentioned wanted to talk to Hermione, Hermione was making sure that everyone found their room, but why was Draco there?

"Guys, I'm sorry I didn't get to spend more time with you. But I promise that tomorrow we'll all talk, all right?" The boys nodded and each stepped up to get a hug goodnight. It was almost a common ritual by now. As Hermione turned back towards Draco, however, her cheer disappeared quickly. He had his wand pulled out and it was pointed squarely at Hermione. When the four boys didn't hear her footsteps moving away, they turned and saw this. Quicker than lightening, their wands were out as well and they were right in front of Hermione.

"Malfoy, what the bloody hell are you doing you prick?" Ron inwardly waited for Hermione to scold him for his language, but it never came. All he could feel from her were her hand grasped tightly on a bit of his shirt. Ron looked back at her and saw that she had a serious expression planted on her face, her fingers playing with an end of her wand. She looked up at him and he nodded, wondering what she would do next. When he turned around again, Harry had started arguing with the foul person standing before them.

"What are you doing MALFOY? What were you going to do to Hermione?" In response, Draco just grinned maliciously and ripped off a sleeve of his shirt. This time, Hermione gasped and all eyes fell on Draco's arm. There, glaring back at them was the Dark Mark, a bright black against Draco's ghostly pale skin. Hermione was staring at it in an almost twisted fascination. "Malfoy, when did you get it? Do they usually let people our age get it?" Harry and the others turned towards her with shock on their faces. Why the hell would Hermione ask these sorts of questions NOW?

"That's not what you should be concerning yourself with right now Mudblood. I have something much worse in store for you." Draco lifted his wand and immediately several Slytherins came down the stairs, gripping their arms in pain. "Malfoy, you gave them all the Dark Mark?" Draco grinned sadistically and all the Slytherins raised the sleeve to proudly show off the Dark Mark. Hermione secretly felt extremely bad for these people, who would have to live with this ugly mark of deception and death for the rest of their lives, even if they did reform and become better people.

In a mere matter of seconds, the Gryffindors found themselves surrounded, but Hermione was ready with a plan. Yes, it was a little rough, but it would have to do for now. She poked everyone in the back with her wand to get their attention, and was surprised that they didn't flinch. She put her hand down and grasped Ron's, then Harry's. They started to grab the others hands until all of them were connected. The Slytherins watched with a sick interest, playing with their wands. Hermione released Ron and Harry's hands and reached for her Time-Turner. Fearing what this could do, Draco lunged for Hermione and grabbed at her throat. Ron and Harry grabbed Draco around the torso and were attempting to get him off her. Hermione did manage to squeak out a few words.

"Ron, Harry, grab my cloak!" Hermione turned the Time Turner, but just as her friends had turned to come towards her, Draco uttered the last words that they wanted to hear.

"Avada Kedavra!" A bright green light flashed and Harry could see his parent's death as though it was fresh in his mind. He collapsed on the ground, his mother's screams echoing loudly in his head. Ron reached his hand out towards Hermione, but was surprised to find her warm hands instead of the expected clammy ones. However, there were negative effects to the dark spell. It had NOT hit Hermione, as Draco had wanted it. Instead, it had hit the one thing that no one had expected to protect her. It had hit the Time Turner, shattering the glass and sprinkling the golden sand in her hair, making her look somewhat like an angel. She could feel herself being pulled away from the present, as though a strong invisible hand was pulling on her with all of its might. As she started to disappear, Ron grabbed her hand tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Hermione, don't go! I-I… I LOVE YOU HERMIONE!" He lost his grip on her hand as some Slytherins pulled him back. He thrashed wildly against them, reaching out desperately for Hermione. Tears came from his eyes, his red ears not able to match the blush on his face. He had finally been able to make his feelings clear to her. He could die happily now. He was hit in the back of the head and fell. Hermione looked out towards him one last time before vanishing into darkness.

"RON!"

All that Hermione could see was darkness. She felt strangely cold, and she pulled her cloak tightly around her. 'Perhaps I've died? Is this what death is like?' Hermione thought of how she had left her friends and she felt the tight grip of remorse around her heart. As she realized that Harry and Ron could be dead at this very moment, tears finally spilled, angry at having been kept locked away for so long. She wiped them away, though it was to no avail because they would just come right back, more heavily than the first time.

"Harry, Fred, George….Ron…" At Ron's name, Hermione remembered what he had said right before she disappeared. "He…he loves me?" Hermione looked back on all the moments they had spent together over the last seven years and realized that it had been obvious. 'How did I not notice? Am I really just that naïve? And more importantly, do I love him?' Hermione probably should have realized that you shouldn't have to ask yourself if you love a person in question, but her being love-naïve didn't realize that at the time.

Before she could have the chance to analyze this, however, she felt the hand from before drag her away and she could feel her energy draining from her body. She fell into a deep slumber, not knowing where on earth she was.

* * *

When she awakened, she could feel a light breeze wrap itself around her face pleasantly, and the warmth of the sun radiated over her. She grasped her forehead as she opened her eyes and pushed herself up, the lake before her sparkling with the reflection of the sunlight.

Wait, a lake? Where was she? Hadn't she just been in the Gryffindor Tower, fighting the Slytherin Death Eaters? She turned her around and was shocked to find herself outside of Hogwarts. And what surprised her more was that there were students running around merrily! What was going on?

As though to answer her question, she saw a group of students walking towards her, and the minute she saw that one boy, she could feel her tears resurfacing.

"Harry…?" She felt herself stand up, though she had no idea how she did it. She could still feel exhaustion weighing down on her. However, she pushed on and ran towards Harry. "Harry, Harry! It's me!" Unfortunately for Hermione, she tripped on a rock and fell forward, her face meeting with dirt. She could feel blood trickling down her knee and this time the tears really did fall.

The students ran towards her, and the one she called Harry flipped her over so she was now on her back. "Harry…?" The boy known as Harry shook his head, confusion showing in his eyes. "Harry? I think you have the wrong person. My name's James. James Potter."

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 1

* * *

**

**A/N:** Well now. Hermione's in the past finally! Yay! It took me awhile to write this chapter because I wanted to make it as close to perfect as I could. I wanted to add more, but let's not go TOO crazy in the first chapter. I was almost going to have Hermione bring Ron with her, but I just didn't. Sorry? I SWEAR THIS IS REMUS/HERMIONE. Even though he hasn't appeared yet. And I have to say, I hate those fanfictions that have Hermione totally changing. Like, her hair is all thin and she wears makeup and stuff. I don't think J.K. would do that. She changed Hermione's teeth, and that seems like the biggest change. And she only fixed Hermione's hair ONCE. Not for the whole freakin' story. I'm sorry, but I needed to rant about that. It pisses me off. Oh, and thank to Kachan for beta reading this for me! You don't have to review, but it would make me feel a lot better. Hint hint.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Lion in a Cage**

**By Sashi Mizumoto**

**A/N: **Well, I finished reading 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' in nine hours. This was definitely my favorite book of the series so far and definately worth the wait. If you have finished it however, you will know what happens with Remus at the end (I will say that he doesn't die though). I was so immensely angry at this; I screamed and cursed for about 15 minutes. He was, sadly, not in the book much. That really disappointed me. I think that was actually one of the three things that bothered me the most about the book. The other two problems I had were just with pairings. It did somewhat inspire me to write, though a lot of what I have written now contradicts with the book, but that is why it's a fanfiction, right? I am happy to say that Remus appears in this chapter, so I hope this will make people want to actually read this one.

**Dedication:** To my good friend Laura, whom couldn't stop screaming about the fact that Sirius is dead, and who I enjoy singing the entire 'Phantom of the Opera' soundtrack with.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would have changed Remus' role in the sixth book and I would kill off someone who interacts with him near the end.

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**CHAPTER 2

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Hermione could feel her hands shaking and she looked up in utter despair at James. "You can't be James! He's..." Hermione stopped herself as she realized that she all most had let James' death slip from her mouth. If in fact she was back in the time of James Potter, she could not reveal that he was dead. If she did, there would most likely be dire consequences. As she had told Harry in their third year, when they had been rescuing Sirius and Buckbeak, "Bad things happen to wizards who mess with time".

James looked at Hermione with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "James is what, hmm?" Before he could press any further, however, a girl with bright red hair stepped forward, seemingly towering dangerously over James. "James Potter, if you keep bothering this poor girl, I will never help you with any homework again!" Hermione looked up, shocked that the girl's statement sounded so much like something she would say to Ron or Harry. As Hermione looked at the girl's eyes, she quickly figured out who this girl was. 'It's… it's Lily! Her eyes! They really are exactly like Harry's!' Lily lightly pushed James away and extended her slender and pallid hand to Hermione. "Hello, my name's Lily! Lily Evans! And that stupid bloke over there is James, as he so kindly said earlier." Hermione accepted the hand and stood somewhat shakily. Looking as though she would fall at any given second, Lily motioned for the boy behind her to come forward and help Hermione stand.

Hermione felt a pair of arms twirl their ways around her torso and she let out a small noise resembling a squeak in shock. She turned only to be met with a cocky smile and dark but glimmering eyes. Lily sighed in exasperation and hid her face in her hand. "That is Sirius Black, the playboy of Hogwarts. Honestly Sirius, can't you keep your hands off girls for two minutes?" Sirius looked up at Lily and smirked, pushing a long piece of black hair out of his face. "The only girl I could keep my hands off is you. You're just plain creepy." Lily glared angrily at Sirius before sharply turning away from him and smiling at Hermione. "Hopefully you'll just learn to ignore him." Hermione looked back at Sirius and realized that up close, he was quite handsome. His eyes seemed to glow with excitement, and he had long raven colored hair, which he kept tied in a loose ponytail. A somewhat scheming smile seemed to be plastered to his face, which worried Hermione a bit.

"And this boy is Peter! Peter Pettigrew! He's quiet, but he's a very kind boy." Hermione turned and looked down at the boy before her, surprised at how much shorter he was than her. When she thought back about all he had done, she couldn't picture him as a murderer. He was so timid and little; he looked too weak to even TRY to kill someone, let alone actually do it. She resisted the urge to squirm out of Sirius' arms and attack Peter now so he would be out of the way later. Hermione instead smiled at him and Peter blushed and hid behind James.

"Let's not forget Remus! Remus Lupin, you put down that book for once and come say hello!" Hermione looked to see the younger Remus Lupin, sitting underneath a tree about three feet away with a tree in front of his face. His hair had no gray, and was instead a warm honey color. His brown eyes looked at Hermione with mild interest and he closed his book, which appeared worn and dog-eared. As well as thick. Very thick. This impressed Hermione, though she realized that she shouldn't judge a book by its cover. He flashed Hermione a gentle smile and she couldn't help but give him one as well, and she waved timidly.

Lily looked back at Hermione and her tone of voice changed to a more serious one. "Now that we have introduced ourselves, why not tell us who you are?" Hermione looked back at the five pairs of expectant eyes, eyes of people who wanted to know the truth about her. She decided she wouldn't entirely lie, but she would not tell the entire truth either.

"My name is Hermione Granger. My family has just moved and I was transferred to Hogwarts from Beauxbotons. I am in seventh year, and I have gotten my robes from Professor Dumbledore. However, I still need to get my textbooks. I hope that they can be ordered from Flourish and Blott's. I was outside looking for someone to help me find the Gryffindor common room. I'm tired, and I'd like to rest a bit."

The group of friends pondered for a second, thinking over any questions that they may have had for her. Remus was the first one to speak. "How did you know James' name?" Hermione had already had an answer for this; she was not surprised that Remus had been the first one to think of this. "Professor Dumbledore told me to look for James. He described him to me, and I guess I just assumed it was him." Hermione thought it sounded like a lame answer, but it seemed to pass well with the group. Lily was the next to ask. "Hermione, why don't you have a French accent? Were you born in France or what?" Hermione thought this was a little bit trickier, but she still came up with a quick answer. She was just glad she was smart. "We moved there a few years ago, before I discovered I was a witch. I was born in London. However, we had to move back here recently because of my father's job. And yes, I am Muggleborn." Lily smiled and nodded happily at Hermione. "Well, I guess I shall be your official guide of the school! Come on, I need to take you to the common room. Are any of you coming with us?"

James shook his head and pointed towards the Quidditch field. "Sorry Lily, I need to go practice. It's never too early to start practicing!" He ran to the field, waving heartily to his friends. Peter nodded at Hermione before tailing after James quickly. Lily shook her head, a sympathetic smile on her face. "Peter's always following James. It's almost like a kitten following her mother." Sirius smiled while keeping his grip around Hermione. "I guess I'll come with you guys. I don't have anything better to do. What about you Moony?" Remus shot a cautious look at Sirius before smiling and nodding slowly. "I'll come too. I want to start reading that new book I ordered. It's called 'Hogwarts, A History'. It looks really interesting." Hermione smiled. 'Hogwarts, A History', had always been one of her favorite books. Thinking back, she realized that it probably would be published around this time.

Lily pulled Sirius' arms away from Hermione and took her hand, leading her to the Gryffindor common room. Sirius and Remus followed behind, talking in hushed voices. Thankful that Lily had turned away from her to look forward, Hermione quickly ripped off her Head Girl badge and stuffed it into her pocket. She had noticed earlier that Lily was also sporting a gleaming badge, and she knew that she would be bombarded with questions if someone had acknowledged it.

* * *

The four people soon reached the front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione could feel her heart beat as she remembered what had happened to her earlier. 'That's right... We fought Draco and the others here, didn't we? Harry, Ron...' Thoughts of what had happened flashed through her mind in an almost random order. Hermione didn't even see that Lily was gone until she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see Remus and Sirius behind her, Sirius with a confident grin, and Remus with a shy and withdrawn smile.

"After you my lady!" Sirius held out his hand to help her into the common room, but Hermione just rolled her eyes. To her, he was exactly what would happen if Ron and Harry were put together. And so far, it wasn't much of a good idea. Hermione passed by Sirius quickly and entered the Common Room. To her immense surprise, it looked almost exactly the same as in her time. The only noticeable difference was that her favorite chair, a large one near the fireplace, was not yet there. Lily, Remus, and Sirius came in after her, and she smiled happily at them. Lily grabbed her by the arm and grinned quite cheerfully. "Here Hermione, let me show you where the girls sleep. We have to be careful that the boys don't follow us though!" Sirius let out a hearty laugh as Lily's gaze landed on him.

"I don't know what you're worried about Lily. I wouldn't DARE look at you. You scare me too much. " Sirius stuck out his tongue as he narrowly avoided a fierce smack on the head. "What about Hermione?" Sirius thought for a moment before answering. "Well, naturally I would want to see! She's new! And I'm curious!" This time he could not avoid the well-aimed hit that Lily threw.

"Sirius, you're a prick." Sirius stuck out his tongue playfully. "And you're a bitch, but you don't hear ME whining about it." He ran up to the boy's dorm before Lily could have the chance to hit him again. When Lily turned around, she was slightly surprised to see Remus and Hermione engaged in a conversation.

"Jeez, those guys play the wildest pranks on people! I wish I could have seen it!" Hermione laughed and Lily didn't have the heart to drag her away from this obviously pleasant conversation. Instead, she sneaked away up to the girl's dormitories, leaving Hermione and Remus alone.

"So Hermione, what books do you like to read?" Hermione only stared at him as though this was the most obvious question to answer. "I pretty much like to read everything. You might think this is a little bit weird, but I also love to study. I'm so excited for the NEWTs!" Remus chuckled at Hermione's enthusiasm and she smiled, trying to push away her embarrassment. "Sorry, I do sound weird don't I? At least, Ron and Harry think I am." Her mind seemed to stop as she realized that she had said those names aloud. She hadn't been here that long and already she had mentioned things she shouldn't have. Remus, not knowing who she was talking about, only tilted his head curiously.

"Who are Ron and Harry? Friends?" Hermione felt a deep pain in her heart, but she ignored it. Hermione looked up at Remus and smiled. "Yes, they're some old friends of mine. I miss them a lot, but I don't really get to see them anymore." Remus decided not to press Hermione for anymore information. Even the most insensitive person could see the small flicker of heartbreak in her eyes. Lily, who had sneaked back downstairs to check on Hermione, saw the ever rising tension between the two and decided to move the subject to a happier place.

"Well, Halloween will be here soon! Are you fond of Halloween Hermione?" Hermione silently thanked Lily for moving the conversation along. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Halloween is always such a nice holiday. There's always some good food to eat, and the beautiful decorations! Do they have these here at Hogwarts too?" As Lily took Hermione up to the girl's dorm, Sirius took a quiet step down the stairs, turning his head and making sure that they were both gone before talking to Remus.

"Moony, I've made up my mind! I'm going after her!" Remus turned his head curiously, not fully understanding what Sirius had meant. Sirius, seeing the confused look on Remus' face, explained it to him. "I'm going to make Hermione my girlfriend! She's so cute! And she's smart, so she'll be able to help me with my homework!" Remus shrugged indifferently, but he was annoyed that Sirius would go after a girl for such idiotic reasons. 'Yes, intelligence and beauty are nice, but her personality is the best thing in a girl', Remus thought. 'I hope Hermione isn't the kind of girl to fall prey to Sirius. No, she's too smart for that sort of thing.' "So, how are you planning on doing this Sirius?" Sirius looked at Remus and smiled.

"What do you think I'll do Moony?" Sirius licked his lips and winked and Remus rolled his eyes. He decided then that he had better things to do and he went up to his room. Sirius followed, talking excitedly about how he would win Hermione over. Meanwhile, Hermione and Lily were discussing Halloween in the girl's dormitories.

* * *

"Personally, I think the boys are planning some sort of prank for Halloween. But we can just ignore them and have our own fun! We can eat some of the good pastries, and laugh at dinner, and help each other with homework!" Hermione smiled and nodded. She felt grateful at this point. Yes, she was separated from Ron and Harry, and she wasn't even sure if she COULD get back home. But if she had to be stuck somewhere else, at least she was stuck in a time and place with kind people and new friends. She was glad that she had the opportunity to meet Lily and James and Remus and Sirius. Peter did bother her, but she just couldn't see him as a murderer. She knew that it could have turned out much worse. She could have gone back to the time when Voldemort was in school, or when Voldemort had gained power and had killed the Potters.

'It could have been much worse,' Hermione thought. She was pulled out of her stupor when Lily pushed a book in front of her. Hermione looked at Lily curiously before picking up the book and flipping through its pages. It turned out to be a photo album of Lily's years at Hogwarts. When she saw Lily as a first year, she smiled. Lily had huge teeth like she had and horn rimmed glasses. "You were so cute Lily!" Lily laughed and turned the page. "Just wait until you see the guys." When Hermione looked down, she almost burst out laughing. Sirius had a bowl haircut, James was pudgy, and Peter was...well, Peter. The only one who seemed to look even remotely handsome was Remus. He was the tallest one as well as the thinnest. To Hermione, he almost looked sickly pale. She squinted and noticed that he had had light freckles. Lily turned the page and showed Hermione various events, such as Quidditch games and holidays like Halloween and Christmas and Valentine's Day. Lily blushed at a particular picture when James had gone around wearing nothing but a Cupid outfit, following her for the entire day. Hermione laughed and Lily smacked her playfully, blushing. Before she had a chance to tell Hermione more anecdotes, there was a knock on their door. Lily stood up and walked to the door cheerfully. Sirius and James burst in with Remus and Peter in tow. Hermione thought about the charm back in her time, when the stairs would push away any boy who would try and come in. She concluded that it must not exist yet. She inwardly smirked. 'Perhaps it was these boys that made it necessary for the charm to be put in in the first place. That's very likely.'

Sirius came over to Hermione and sat with her, looking down at the book she and Lily had been going through. He smiled up at her. "Do you have any pictures of yourself as a child? I bet you were really cute." He flashed her a gorgeous smile and Hermione couldn't help but blush slightly. Sirius smirked and shouted, "I think Hermione's got the hots for me! She's blushing!". Everyone turned around and stared at Hermione, who only blushed harder. Lily chuckled and smacked Sirius away from Hermione.

"Sirius, I think you like teasing her. Maybe you're the one who likes her!" James hooted and Sirius punched him in the arm. Peter just stood there, eating a cracker and Remus shook his head, embarrassed. He looked up and saw Hermione waving for him to come over. While Sirius and James were fighting, with Lily trying to get them to stop, Hermione wanted to talk with Remus about the pictures.

"You know Remus, I've been looking through these with Lily and so far you're the only one who looks normal!" She smiled when an insulted 'Hey!' came from Sirius, who was now wrestling with James while Lily just watched with Peter. Remus smiled at Hermione. "I guess. I was the tallest until fifth year. Then for some reason, Sirius suddenly grew about five or six inches." Hermione nodded, curious to know everything about the Marauders. He started to tell her about a Halloween when Sirius had hidden himself in a pumpkin and popped his legs out of the bottom and run around, making it look like a walking and talking pumpkin, when Sirius suggested that they sneak down to the dungeons and meet some of the school ghosts, maybe even find some new secret passages. Lily, Hermione and Peter seemed to be the only hesitant people.

"Lily my dear, I'll protect you, I promise!" James wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she sighed and kissed him on the cheek. Sirius, thinking that this would be a good idea to the beginning of his romance with Hermione, decided to try the same. Only the results weren't as pleasant.

"Hermione my dear, I'll protect you, I promise!" Sirius wrapped his arm around her shoulders only to have Lily smack him over the head with her Transfiguration book. He rubbed his head and glared angrily and Lily only smiled innocently. Hermione smiled. "I guess I'll go. But if we get caught, I'll say you put me under the Cruciatus curse, okay?" The group smiled and nodded in agreement. The only one left to convince was Peter. He flat out refused though. He was afraid of the dark. Besides, he had homework to work on. The group decided to let him go and work.

* * *

Hermione stayed up in her room while everyone else went to their classes. She would just have to wait until she could get a chance to go see Dumbledore by herself. Perhaps tomorrow night. She would've gone tonight, but then they went and invited her to go with them to the dungeons. She wanted to find out about her classes, but she especially wanted to be with her new friends. This was one of those rare occasions in which Hermione disregarded schoolwork in order for a more frivolous activity.

She spent most of her time reading books in the common room. She had just finished reading an article about witch burnings in Salem when someone came into the dormitory. Thinking fast, she hid underneath the sofa she had been sitting on, taking the book with her. She peeked out from underneath and saw a slightly younger Professor McGonagall scanning the room with eyes that reminded her slightly of a hawk's. She closed her eyes tightly and curled up gently, trying to make herself as small as possible. Professor McGonagall only stayed for a few minutes before leaving though. Hermione listened for footsteps for a few more seconds before crawling out from the bottom of the couch.

"What was that about?" Hermione thought about it for a moment before shrugging. She would think about it later. Right now, she had other things to think about. Like tonight.

* * *

The group came back later, along with many other students. Apparently, Lily, as Head Girl, had explained Hermione's situation to everyone so Hermione wouldn't have to trouble herself with it. Hermione thanked Lily, grateful that she wouldn't have anything else to worry about. James gathered everyone together and they went upstairs. Since James was somehow Head Boy, he had his own room where he knew they wouldn't be disturbed. He closed the door and looked at everyone else seriously.

"Now Hermione, since you're new to the group, you probably didn't know about this. But I have access to something very rare as well as useful." Hermione instantly knew what he was talking about, but held her tongue. She couldn't let him know that she knew about it. "I have an invisibility cloak." To prove this, he took it out of his trunk and flourished it royally before actually putting it on and disappearing. Hermione faked shock and everyone smiled. For some reason, Hermione was struck with a sudden pain in her heart. Perhaps she was thinking about how she, Ron, and Harry used to sneak around Hogwarts with that very same cloak. And then thinking about Ron made her feel even worse. He had told her of his love for her right before she disappeared. And they were probably in horrible danger. Or even dead.

Hermione had always thought reasonably about things, but she couldn't help but feel depressed after thinking about these things. Hermione looked up and smiled. "That's amazingly beautiful James." James smirked and held out the cloak to her. "Would you like to try it?" Hermione looked down and nodded. However, she did ask him something. "Can someone help me? I'm a little nervous about going alone." Immediately, Sirius volunteered himself. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and he took the cloak from James' grasp. He wrapped it around themselves and looked at her. She smiled up at him and he decided to be braver than he had ever been before. 'God, Remus' transformations are no where near as scary as this,' Sirius thought. He bent down and kissed Hermione tenderly on the cheek before pulling off the cloak with a quick arm movement. Hermione blushed a bright red and Sirius smirked before handing back the cloak to James and sitting down. Hermione just stared at nothing for a few moments before sitting down. Lily looked at her curiously before shrugging and talking animatedly with James. Remus sat down next to Hermione and talked with her though Hermione was only half listening.

'This is NOT what I needed. Ok, the important things first. Ron and Harry are in trouble and I need to figure out a way to get back. We're all going out tonight. Professor McGonagall came in. And I need to find time to talk to Professor Dumbledore. God, how am I supposed to handle all of this at once?'

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**END OF CHAPTER 2

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**A/N**: Well, this always happens. It always ends up so much more differently than I had it planned! I hope you're enjoying this so far. Sorry it took me such a long time to update. But that's because I've been writing out future chapters! There will at LEAST be an update once every month. Some months it might even be more than once. I dunno, it depends on how I feel and if I even get like, any reviews. You know, I take the time to write it man. XD I could at least get a review. Oh well, I don't control your brains. Please enjoy the future chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Lion in a Cage**

By Sashi Mizumoto

**A/N: **Woo. Not much to say really. Since I don't have many reviews, I'll reply to them at the end of this chapter.

**Dedication:** I dedicate this to Laura, who always thought that the Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings was actually called Mount Boom.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I am in a Harry Potter RP though. I get to be Hermione!

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**CHAPTER 3

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Hermione played with the edge of her gray pleated skirt anxiously as she glanced repeatedly at the grandfather clock in the Common Room. They would be leaving for their secret dungeon rendezvous soon and she felt uneasy. She released the skirt and went back to playing with the edges of her book absentmindedly. She had been reading for hours now, trying to keep her mind off tonight. Though she had to admit, she was very excited.

The last of the students (an adorable little blond first year boy) went up to the dormitories and Hermione closed her book. She put it away and glanced at the entrance. 'Where are they? They should've been here by now!' Lily came down from her room and sat down near Hermione, who was now pacing around the fireplace.

"Hermione, calm down. The worst-case scenario is that they were caught out there past curfew and they got detentions. It's not like they're going to die!" Lily laughed but Hermione flinched. It was almost ironic that Lily would say that. Lily, James, and Sirius would all be dead in a few years, and Lily didn't even have an inkling about this. She stopped pacing and sat down rather neatly on the floor. Lily looked over at her and moved next to her on the floor.

"Really Hermione what are you afraid of? Like I said, this isn't going to kill us. Just enjoy yourself while you're here." Lily smiled and Hermione looked over at her. It was amazing that Lily could say something like this. 'But Lily doesn't know her life is going to end soon now does she?' Hermione shook away this thought, deciding to follow Lily's advice. She might as well enjoy herself while she's in this time anyway. She just needed to keep herself in check, that's all.

Just as she finally sat down though, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter burst out from under the invisibility cloak and ran through the entry, out of breath and carrying huge bundles. They threw the bundles to the ground before falling themselves. As they sat on the ground to catch their breath, Lily and Hermione walked over to examine what the boys had been holding. Food poured out from the cloth bags. Lily looked over at James with an impish grin on her face. James smirked.

"Well, we decided it might be fun to eat while we're in the dungeon. Like a dungeon picnic. 'Sides, the elves are really nice. It was hard to get away! They kept giving us all of this nice food and some butterbeer too!" Hermione rolled her eyes, but a smile graced her face. These boys reminded her of Harry and Ron, but also to an extent, Fred and George. Sirius finally stood, smoothing out his pants. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Everyone stood up and Hermione rushed to the bookshelf, pulling out the book she had been reading the other day about witch burnings. James and the other boys took care of the food and Lily held on to an end of the invisibility cloak. Hermione took the other end of the cloak and they disappeared to the naked human eye.

* * *

The walk to the dungeon seemed to take an eternity. There were no lights or lanterns or anything of that sort, so the group had to use multiple 'Lumos' spells to keep them from going blind. Hermione wondered how long Filch had been working at Hogwarts. They narrowly avoided running into him, but strangely, he looked as if he hadn't changed appearances between now and her own time.

Upon reaching the dungeons, the group relaxed and tore off the invisibility cloak. Hermione recognized Snape's old office and wondered if the current potions teacher resided there. 'No, James and the others seem much too clever to dive into an unknown area without at least scouting it. I guess the potions teacher doesn't have his office here yet. Thank goodness.'

"Finally! Now we can relax! Jeez, when the halls are really quiet like that I always get such a creepy feeling!" Sirius shook the invisibility cloak off his shoulders and noticed that Hermione was looking at him. He grinned and took his sweater off slowly. "Like what you see?" He winked at her and she blushed and looked away. No boy had ever been as aggressive as he had, and it was odd. Not even Ron was like this. Hermione had decided not to think about her friends tonight. She would think about this rationally when she had a chance to sit by herself and just, well… THINK. However, Sirius' playful strip tease kept playing in her head, and she glared at his back. 'Stupid boys.'

Hermione turned to look at Remus and realized he had hidden a book under his sweater and was now deeply engrossed in it. She moved next to him and smiled. She stood on the tips of her toes to look over his shoulder and see what book he was reading. 'Wow, I never noticed that he was so tall!'

Remus turned his head towards her and smiled. He closed his book, with a bookmark in-between the pages, and held up the cover for her to look at. She saw that it was 'Hogwarts, a History'. Hermione grinned. "How far are you into it?" Remus showed her, and the two were in such a deep discussion, they didn't notice that Lily had set up the food so they were now having a picnic instead of just leaning against the wall. Peter dug into his bag and found a few candles, which Sirius lit quickly. Remus and Hermione stopped talking as the light from the candles flickered against the wall. As if this was a specific cue, everyone sat down and picked up plates, looking over the food before choosing what to eat.

* * *

Hermione, who was not an indecisive person, finished rather quickly and was the first to be able to sit back and eat comfortably. Meanwhile, everyone else looked like piglets trying to attack each other so they could feed from the mother first. Hermione rolled her eyes. She looked back down at her muffin and ate it slowly, thinking back to her Hogwarts.

'Is Ron alive or dead? What happened? And what about Harry, and Fred, and George? I don't know anymore! It's too confusing! But... the more confusing thing is that Ron is in love with me? Is that why he was so tense around me?' Hermione gasped as she realized she had answered her own question. However, the group turned and looked at her oddly. She blushed, and pointed to the wall opposite of them. "Sorry, I thought I saw a spider. I hate those nasty little buggers." She smiled in spite of herself, thinking that this is probably what Ron would say at this moment. Everyone shrugged and leaned back, now finished picking their food, with the exception of James and Sirius, who were fighting over a treacle tart. Lily talked with poor Peter, who didn't seem to be looking well. James and Sirius continued to fight for food, which left Remus and Hermione to chat.

"So Hermione, what are you going to do about classes? I mean, your books still haven't gotten here from Flourish and Blott's right?" Hermione froze. In a moment of fun, she had forgotten to really even think about that tonight. Yes, she had thought about it earlier, but this was supposed to be a fun night in which morbid thoughts didn't invade her head. Although she realized, they already had.

"I think I'll go and see Professor Dumbledore about the situation. Perhaps tomorrow." Remus nodded, his fork now busily twirling some spaghetti about. "That would probably be the best thing to do." He ate the spaghetti hurriedly and was about to move on to a biscuit when Hermione stopped him. This was another moment for her that reminded her of Ron. "Here, you've got food on your face." She picked up his napkin and tenderly wiped away a little meat sauce. He instantly blushed at the contact and concentrated himself on buttering his biscuit. Hermione looked at him curiously before busying herself with her food. 'I guess he gets embarrassed rather easily. Poor boy.' James and Sirius, who had finally sorted out their food differences, sat down grumpily and ripped into their food viciously. Lily, not wanting to get hit with specks of flying food, moved closer to Hermione and Remus.

"Well now, you two look like you were having an interesting chat," Lily teased. Sirius stopped eating, which resulted in a piece of chicken falling out of his open mouth. James kept on though, like a spy on a mission that had to be completed. Remus blushed and Hermione just chuckled it away as though it were preposterous. Sirius glared at his food and ripped into it again. James looked up from his food (while still eating) and said nothing. Though he knew he'd have to talk to Sirius later. Sirius looked really mad, and nothing good ever came out of that sort of anger.

* * *

The rest of the picnic passed with silence. People were concentrating on their food instead of on conversation. That was probably the best thing about these friends. They didn't have to be talking every second of every day to have fun. They could all have a quiet, pleasant meal and still be happy (as well as not bored).

Lily and Hermione cleaned up the garbage while James and Sirius started lightly hexing each other, to Peter's amusement. Remus was leaning against the wall, reading his book but occasionally looking up to watch those two and make sure they didn't seriously hurt each other. Which, knowing them, was extremely likely.

They all sat together for a few moments, forgetting about all the things that were deemed important in their lives, like school. Hermione closed her eyes, and just as she was about to fall asleep, a crash resounded from a few feet away. Her eyes jolted open and she looked ahead.

A ghost lingered in front of the friends, swaying gently in the air. Lily clamped her arm around James' and froze. Apparently, she had a strong fear of ghosts (she had even had a fear of the house ghosts). James wrapped her into an embrace and Remus and Sirius stood. Peter hid behind Hermione, who recognized the ghost instantly.

"Nick?" Nearly Headless Nick looked over at her and smiled. "Hello Hermione! My, what are you doing here though? This is wrong, completely wrong! And where are Ronald and Harry? Aren't they with you?" Before Nick could go on, she ran towards him and began speaking in a hushed voice. The Marauders and Lily exchanged glances and stayed fixed to their spots.

"How do you know my name? Are you from my time? Are you really Nearly Headless Nick?" Nick gave her a look as though she were an insane person. "Of course I'm Nick! How do you think I am? But Hermione, why are you here in this time? Don't you know that bad things happen to wizards who mess with time?" Hermione nodded but waved away the question. "Nick, do you know if Dumbledore is in his office? I want to ask him to help me get back home." Nick nodded. "Dumbledore is away on a trip actually. He'll be back in about a month. He only told Minerva and Severus where he would be going though. If I were you though, I would just wait. Relax until he gets back, you know?" Hermione nodded. "Thank you Nick. Um, I think we're going to get going, but before we do, may I ask you to do one more favor for me?" Nick nodded and Hermione continued. "Could you see what's happening at Hogwarts for me? Before I left, the Slytherins had attacked the Gryffindors, and I have no idea what happened! Please help and make sure they're okay!" Nick nodded again. "I'll go see what's happening. But I must warn you Hermione, I can't help them if something bad has happened to them. And I won't lie to you about what's going on, alright? Now, for details. I bet you never knew this before, but ghosts can travel through time. It takes a good deal of energy and concentration though. I won't be able to return here for a few weeks. Do you understand?" Hermione looked down at the ground and contemplated this. Finally, she nodded. "I can wait. I just hope for the best." She gave Nick a small smile and he returned it. "Me too. Now, if you don't mind, I shall depart. I'll try and see what's going on." Nick waved goodbye to the group and went through the ceiling.

Hermione turned and noticed the strange looks everyone was giving her. She also just realized that she was crying. She wiped away the tears running down her face. Everyone slowly and timidly came forward before embracing her in a group hug. Sirius whispered into her hair, "Was he someone important to you? A friend?" Hermione only nodded and buried her head in someone's chest. Who, she couldn't see. She was blinded by her warm tears.

Remus, however, now had a huge wet spot on his sweater. He didn't really care, it was only a piece of clothing, but he was upset that Hermione was crying. 'I wonder who that man really was? Perhaps a relative who died or something of the sort? But those clothes, they don't match any time period within at least 100 years. Hmm, maybe I should ask Hermione about this when she's feeling better.'

It was decided unanimously that that was probably the best time to pack it up and go back to the dormitories. James and Sirius burned the garbage that Hermione and Lily had gathered together earlier and Peter held onto Hermione's arm, patting her on the back sympathetically. Remus and Lily discussed ways to cheer Hermione up while walking.

They had just made it to the fifth floor when James suddenly tripped and fell into a suit of armor. The cloak flew off the group and they were now visible. Hoping no one would see them, James scrambled to get up and pick up the cloak but it was too late.

Argus Filch looked at them and smiled, baring his nasty yellowing teeth. He picked up the cloak with the tips of his fingers and dropped it over his arm. "So, what do we have here? A couple of students waking past their curfew? Oh and what's this? The Head Boy and the Head Girl encouraging them? My, my, Minerva will be so disappointed in you two." Hermione jumped into the conversation, determined on at least saving two of the students from a detention. "Sir, James and Lily were just looking for us. We were at the library, because I needed to talk to Remus and Sirius privately. James and Lily noticed that we hadn't come back after curfew." Filch looked at her for a moment before brushing away James and Lily. They pushed themselves off of the ground and ran back to the dorms, looking back at everyone else guiltily. Filch motioned for the others to get up, and he grinned. "Now, it's time for Minerva to deal with you four."

* * *

Filch led them to McGonagall's office and knocked on the door. McGonagall came out with a dark green robe on, and Hermione was surprised that McGonagall looked the same as well, except with fewer wrinkles. She glared down at the students before her eyes rested on Hermione. She raised an eyebrow. "Argus, this girl is not a student here." Hermione tensed, realizing she had forgotten about this factor.

Remus jumped in now to save Hermione. "She's my sister Professor. She came to visit me because my mother's been sick while father was away, and she came to tell me. She was planning to stay in the Head Girl's room with Lily. James Potter can confirm her identity, as well as Sirius. Right Sirius?" He looked over at Sirius and nodded. McGonagall looked at him suspiciously before accepting his answer. She smiled somewhat tenderly at Hermione. "What's your name dear?" Hermione blinked. "Hermione Lupin. I didn't write to my brother Professor because I thought this would be something better told in person. I came in on the Knight Bus." McGonagall nodded sympathetically. "Well, I'm sorry that your mother is sick. But you'll go home tomorrow?" Hermione nodded and McGonagall sighed. "Alright. But Sirius, Peter, Remus, you three still have detention. Come back here at 8PM tomorrow. You will be scrubbing the desks. Understood?" They nodded and left, Filch glaring after them.

Hermione looked back at Remus. "Thank you for helping me. I guess Professor Dumbledore didn't inform her of my arrival." Remus gave her a warm smile. "That's alright. You helped James and Lily. It was only fair to try to help you too." They walked back to the dorms in silence.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was the last to wake up. She dragged herself out of bed and without even changing out of her pajamas, walked down to the Great Hall. It was now Saturday, which meant a day with no classes. Apparently though, she wasn't the only one in this sort of attire.

All of the Marauders were in their pajamas with the exceptions of Lily and Remus, who were already neatly dressed. James was wearing a large white t-shirt and forest green sweatpants. Peter was wearing a navy blue shirt that looked six sizes too big for his little body. If he was wearing pants, Hermione wouldn't be able to tell. She could just see his feet poking out from the bottom.

Sirius was wearing a pair of yellow sweatpants, which surprised Hermione. He didn't seem to be the type to wear yellow. But what bewildered her more was the lack of a shirt. She blushed when she realized her eyes were lingering on him. She sat herself next to James, who was next to Sirius. Sirius, not wanting to miss a chance of embarrassing Hermione, got up and hugged her from behind.

"Hello 'Mione. Miss me?" He kissed her on the top of her head and she smacked him with her napkin. He rubbed his head playfully and stuck out his tongue at her. "Temper temper madam!" Lily rolled her eyes and James laughed at Sirius' vain attempts to woo her. Remus glanced over at Hermione above his book, which he was now almost finished. Lily nudged Hermione in the side and pointed up at the staff table. McGonagall was sitting down at her seat. It was then that Hermione realized she was supposed to be gone! 'Calm down Hermione. Just tell her you were hungry and decided to come here and eat before leaving. That's it.' James suddenly let out a string of curse words, which made many people at the Gryffindor table give him odd looks.

"That bastard Filch still has my invisibility cloak!" Hermione wondered as to why no one had realized this earlier. James, with a determined look in his eyes, glared at his breakfast. "I'm going to get it back." He stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall. Sirius looked after him and followed. Hermione got up to also pursue this, but Lily stopped her. "Just let Sirius handle this. This is something neither of us should dig into." She took a bite out of her omelet and dabbed her face with a napkin. "I'm going to the library." Lily stood and left as well. Hermione sat back down, disappointed that she couldn't help James. Remus, who had forgotten about his book in this chaos, sat down next to Hermione.

"Look, it's nothing that you need to worry about so much. Like Lily said, this is something that you just shouldn't make a big fuss over. When James wants to tell you about it, I'm sure he will." Remus gave her a reassuring smile and Hermione couldn't help but feel quite a bit better. Peter nibbled a little bit at his raisin muffin before excusing himself, saying he needed to work on some schoolwork. Hermione couldn't understand how someone who works so hard at schoolwork could be so dull witted in class.

Remus, seeing that McGonagall was about to leave the table, and perhaps see Hermione, dropped his fork onto his plate and took Hermione's hand. He stood up and led her out of the Great Hall. "Perhaps you should stay away from Professor McGonagall for awhile." Hermione nodded in agreement and watched as Remus led her to the library. She took a deep breath and was rewarded with the scent of books and ink. She smiled and felt very much at home right now. He led her to the Restricted Section, when she began to hear Sirius' voice. Remus tried to pull her away, but she wouldn't allow it.

"James, it'll be alright. Look, I'll get your cloak back after detention tonight, okay? I'll have to use the map though. I didn't think I'd have to use it again." James nodded in agreement. "Alright. Tonight, you'll get it back." Sirius looked at him before placing a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright. I promise. You should know that I wouldn't let anything happen to it. We all know how precious it is to you." Hermione stared at a row of books, thinking. Was Sirius talking about the Marauders map? He had to be, of course! But what did he mean by 'I didn't think I'd have to use it again.'? What did he mean by that? Had something bad happened with it when he was younger? Hermione shook away these questions and allowed herself to be led away by Remus.

* * *

They decided to go back to the Common Room and they played chess for awhile. Hermione, who had never been good at the game, was beaten about 12 times in a row. It was then that Remus took pity on her, and he called Peter over. He asked if Peter would be an example so that he could try and teach Hermione strategies and tips. Peter agreed and for the first time in her life, Hermione beat someone in chess!

Lily came back from the library, though Hermione realized she had not seen her there at all. 'Maybe she was somewhere else? But where?' Lily decided that they should all go for a walk around the lake. Hermione and Peter agreed, but Remus wanted to get Sirius and James before they left. They met at the entrance to the school and walked around. James and Lily were engaged in a conversation while holding hands. Hermione giggled. 'They remind me of newlyweds.' Peter stopped underneath a tree by the entrance and declared that he was going to take a nap. Which left Hermione to talk to Remus and deal with Sirius' attempts of flattery.

"So Hermione, you've been here for a few days. Any boys catch your eye?" Sirius grinned at her and Hermione just laughed. He really did remind her of Ron. "No, not really." She smiled, but Sirius just pouted. Remus smirked. "Maybe you're not as appealing as you think you are Sirius!" Sirius blushed in embarrassment and smacked him lightly over the head with his fist.

Hermione laughed at the two and they both stopped and looked at her. Sirius stopped in front of the walking Hermione, causing HER to stop walking. He bent down on one knee and took her hand in his. "Dearest Hermione, love of my life, apple of my eye, would you like to snog me?" Hermione glared and poked him sharply on the forehead, causing him to fall over. "At least act decently around women Sirius!" They all met together under a tree near the edge of the lake. James and Lily sat together, kissing happily, and Sirius played with a tentacle from the squid. Remus and Hermione talked about books mostly. Though Remus was still curious about one thing.

"Hermione, who was that ghost from the other night?" Sirius stopped playing with the tentacle and turned to her. Hermione just laughed. "He used to visit this ghost at my old school. I think he's in love with her. She's pretty. Maybe we should set her up with Sirius?" Remus laughed, but Sirius just smirked. He fished out some water and splashed Hermione. He let out a roar of laughter. "That's what you get for making fun of me!" Hermione glared and pushed him into the lake. He let out a yelp and dragged her in by her ankle. She laughed, and Remus, James and Lily came to the side. Lily tried to pull Hermione out of the water, but Sirius grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her in. James and Remus looked at each other seriously before jumping in, letting out loud yells and screams of joy and laughter.

* * *

They went inside after it got dark, water dripping from their uniforms and hair. Peter let out an awkward laugh, as though he was embarrassed to be seen around these idiots. They went straight up to the dormitories and changed. Soon afterwards, Sirius, Peter, and Remus left for detention. Hermione felt guilty that she had gotten out of it, but Lily reassured her that it was probably for the best. Hermione went up to her room shortly afterwards, just so she could avoid watching the snogging session which James and Lily were thoroughly enjoying. She looked up at the ceiling for hours, wishing her eyes would just close.

'My mind is too busy. I can't help but keep thinking about Ron and Harry. What's happening to them? Ugh, I wish Nick could get back here soon! I want to know what's happening!' James and Lily walked into the room, kissing. James pushed Lily over to the bed and Hermione shrieked when Lily fell on top of her. Lily and James blushed as Hermione rolled off the bed and bowled over onto the floor. Lily buttoned her shirt again and James looked at the ground, unable to look Hermione in the eye. Hermione, who felt very embarrassed, ran out of the room. James and Lily yelled after her, but she didn't think she'd be able to comfortably be able to look them in the eye right now. She sat down in the Common Room, and at about 1 in the morning, Sirius, Peter, and Remus walked in, looking exhausted. By now, Hermione had fallen asleep and didn't notice them. Sirius, who had been talking to Remus, was about to continue his conversation when Remus motioned to Hermione and made a motion to his mouth signaling Sirius to be quiet. Sirius smirked and walked over to her, avoiding all the squeaky floorboards that he could. He draped the invisibility cloak, which he had gotten back successfully from Filch's office, over his shoulders and disappeared. He climbed on top of Hermione and kissed her sleeping face. She murmured softly and opened her eyes. Sirius appeared blurry, and she didn't comprehend yet that she was being kissed by the most beautiful boy in the school. And this was no ordinary kiss. This was one of those 'French kisses' that she had heard so much about. She felt something soft on her lips and opened them, letting it into her mouth. She felt extremely comfortable, but soon realized that she was snogging Sirius Black. She screamed and smacked him away. He fell off of the couch, bringing down the invisibility cloak with him. Lily and James came down, as well as most of the other Gryffindors. What they saw was a flushed Hermione, a grinning Sirius, and an embarrassed Peter and Remus telling James and Lily what they think had happened. Hermione turned to Sirius and glared. 'If every day's going to be like this, I want to go home.'

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 3

* * *

**

**A/N: **Sirius just doesn't seem to learn, now does he? Anyway, thanks for reading chapter 3! So, what will Nick tell Hermione when he gets back? What was the incident that occurred that involved the Marauders map? What is the origin of the invisibility cloak? Will Hermione fall for Sirius, Ron's clone? And how will they celebrate Halloween? All this and more in the next chapter! (Well, all of this won't be in the next chapter.)


	4. Chapter 4

**A Lion in a Cage**

By Sashi Mizumoto

**A/N: **Since Halloween is coming up, I decided to upload the Halloween chapter! Naturally, some of the facts are changed from the book series because I feel like it. Plus, it will make sense in the end. I think. I don't really know, I didn't really have a plan when I started this. I write as I go.

**Dedication:** To Laura, whom I have gotten addicted to a few animes.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be rolling in money and giggling.

* * *

**CHAPTER 4

* * *

**

Halloween had finally rolled by, despite the awkward moments Hermione was going through. She had been avoiding Lily and James since the bedroom incident. Lily and James in turn were not talking to Hermione. They were trying to think of ways to talk to her, but to no avail. Nothing seemed to come to their mind. No way of taking the complicated feelings away.

Hermione was also furious with Sirius. She was disgusted that he had taken advantage of her like that. Sirius, in turn, was very moody and reclusive. He picked at food grumpily, he glared at people more, and he was actually doing his own homework instead of copying off of Remus or James. He even acted childishly enough as to slam doors.

Right now, the only people Hermione could talk to were Remus and Peter. However, Peter seemed intimidated by Hermione and would just run by and blush. Therefore, Hermione had Remus as her one confidant. The one person she could tell anything. Well, mostly anything.

When Halloween came though, Remus looked sickly and pale. Hermione knew why, but it wasn't as if she could come out and say it. She wanted to tell him of the potion that Snape would make for him in the future, but she couldn't. It would be interfering with time. She could only pat him on the back soothingly and hope that the pain would pass quickly.

"I'm sorry you feel so sick Remus. Is there anything I can do?" Remus rubbed his head and smiled. "No, but thank you for asking Hermione." Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes. "You know, I think you can call me 'Mione by now. I'd prefer that actually. It'd make me feel more at home." And this was true. It would remind her of Harry and Ron. And of the things and places she may never see again.

"But Hermione, I can't do that! I don't know you well enough yet!" Hermione sighed and closed the textbook she had been reading. She wanted to stay at the same pace as everyone else so she wouldn't be behind when she could finally join classes with them. "Remus, for goodness sake. Can you just do it? Please?" Hermione looked at him and Remus sighed. "All right, all right. If it really means that much to you." He paused for a moment and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "'Mione." Hermione grinned and stood. "Good!" She stood up and looked outside. The sun was setting and creating a beautiful orange color in the sky, perfect for Halloween.

"Come on, let's go down to the Great Hall. I want to see what a Hogwarts Halloween really looks like!" Hermione raced to the door, but stopped when Remus didn't follow. She didn't think his transformation was tonight, but apparently, she was wrong. "I'm sorry Hermi- 'Mione, but I don't think I'm up for it. I feel terribly nauseous. I hope you understand." Hermione nodded and could only give him a sympathetic smile. "I hope you feel better Remus." She turned and left, feeling sad that her only friend at the moment couldn't even spend such a nice holiday with her.

Remus watched Hermione leave before falling onto a chair. He clutched his sweaty forehead and took deep breaths. At least this wouldn't be a repeat of last year's Halloween. He pushed himself into a sitting position and wiped his forehead. He felt clammy, and decided that a shower would probably be the best choice at this moment.

* * *

Lily walked up the stairs, feeling tears brim in her eyes. She passed Hermione on the way, stopping and turning. But nothing could come out of her mouth. She didn't know how to explain the overly sexual display that she and James had carried on. And right in front of her friend too. She walked into the Common Room and relaxed in a nice chair. She closed her eyes for a second before going upstairs. She decided to wait in James' Head Boy room for awhile.

Remus chose this moment to come in, wearing nothing but a towel. His hair dripped, and beads of water slid down his body. Lily blushed and hid her head behind a pillow, which she roughly picked up. "I-I'm sorry Remus! I didn't know you where in here! I'll leave!" She rushed to leave, holding up the pillow. However, Remus grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Lily looked up at him from behind the pillow and blushed. Remus was a completely different person. His eyes had a cool look and he seemed much older, and much more mature. He embraced Lily roughly and buried her in a kiss. She moaned and tried to push him away, but she eventually gave in to the torrent of Remus' passion. He pushed her to the bed and enveloped her in kisses.

* * *

Meanwhile, James and Sirius were playing wizard chess in the Great Hall when Hermione came in. James went to get up, but Sirius motioned for him to sit down. He noticed that Hermione seemed distraught about something. Though she wasn't about to admit that sort of thing. Sirius kindly patted the seat next to him and Hermione sat down. James looked up at Hermione sheepishly and smiled.

"Hermione… I don't really know how to say this, but I'm dreadfully sorry. You weren't meant to see such a scene, and I know it inconvenienced you." Hermione waved her hand and smiled. "It's quite all right James. I know you didn't mean for me to be in there. Though I do wonder why you were in there with Lily after dark in the first place." She smiled and James blushed. Sirius snickered and James playfully punched him in the arm. Sirius laughed, rubbing his arm, and looked over at Hermione. "'Mione, I'm really sorry too. How about this? If I promise never to kiss you again without your permission, we stay best friends forever." Hermione thought this sounded like a promise a five year old would make, but she gave in to his puppy dog face and persistency anyway. "All right, all right. You promise me you'll never kiss me without my permission, and I will stay your best friend forever." She held out her hand and Sirius grabbed it eagerly. James smiled and decided this was probably the best time to leave these two alone. After all, Sirius had a crush on Hermione.

"I'm going to apologize to Lily. And see how Remus is feeling." He stood and left the table. Before leaving the Great Hall, he motioned for Sirius to stay seated. Sirius nodded slightly and smiled in relief. Remus' transformation was tonight and he wanted to support his friend, but if James wanted him to stay here with Hermione, he'd listen. Everyone knew that James was the ringleader of the group. He was the clever one. Yes, Remus was smart, but there is a difference between clever and smart. So, Sirius listened to everything James said. Sirius was not a servile sort of person, but he respected James' decisions. He knew that if James thought it to be best that Sirius stay here with Hermione, then it was probably true. The fact that he liked her company had nothing to do with it. Nope. Nothing at all.

Hermione turned to Sirius. "Why does James have to apologize to Lily? What did he do now?" Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. I think Lily must have her period or something. Although she might still be embarrassed about the, um, situation from before." Hermione blushed and looked at her hands awkwardly.

A few minutes passed, and James suddenly burst back into the Great Hall and took Sirius' hand. Sirius was dragged out of the Great Hall, with Hermione running after them gawkily. James stopped right outside of the Great Hall and dropped Sirius' hand. Sirius looked at James, angry that he had interrupted his conversation with Hermione, but was shocked to see tears running down James' face.

"James? Mate? Are you all right?" Sirius put his arm around James' shoulder and leaned over, looking at James' face through his dark and messy hair. Tears fell to the ground and made wet imprints on the rock floor. Hermione felt out of place and didn't know whether she should stay or go. However, when James embraced her, Hermione felt saddened and reminded of Harry. She hugged him tightly and cried into his hair, knowing that she needed to release her tears eventually. Sirius didn't want to feel left out, so he embraced them both. Immediately, they both attached themselves to Sirius, both James and Hermione crying fiercely.

After a few moments, James let go first. Hermione still clung to Sirius and Sirius hugged her, rubbing her back gently and breathing calmly into her bushy hair. James wiped away the tears, leaving wet streak marks on his face. He glared at nothing in particular, and curled his hands into fists. "Lily cheated on me." Sirius stopped rubbing Hermione's back and Hermione's tears ceased instantly. She turned her head away from Sirius' chest and looked at James with disbelief.

"I never would've suspected Lily capable of this sort of thing. I thought she would be the one I would end up marrying. But, no! I end up catching her in bed with Remus!" Hermione felt her breath stop. Remus didn't seem like the type of person who would do something like this! It didn't feel right…

"I don't know if I can be with Lily anymore. I mean, I go to my room to change into a fresh set of clothes, and I find Remus and Lily having sex in my bed! All I could do was stare before running out of there! God, I feel like such an idiot!" He dropped his head into his hands, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do." Sirius released Hermione and whispered something into James' ear.

"You know James, Remus' transformation is tonight. Do you think his animal instincts took over his soul? It might not be Lily's fault!" James perked up and gave Sirius a lopsided grin. "That must be it! Maybe Lily couldn't fight him off! Remus gets really strong before, um, it!" James glanced at Hermione and grinned. "It's got to be some sort of misunderstanding!" He ran towards the Gryffindor Tower, with Sirius and Hermione following him.

After several minutes, they reached the seventh floor. James rushed through into the Common Room, Sirius and Hermione following a few steps behind him. Sirius pulled back Hermione when she attempted to go with James upstairs. "Hermione, this is the sort of thing that we should probably stay out of." Hermione nodded and stepped back, looking at the pattern on the carpet. Within a few minutes, James had brought down Remus and Lily, who were now fully clothed. Lily was crying into her hand, embarrassed, and Remus was glaring at nothing in particular. Sirius looked out the window and noticed that the moon was rising quickly. He motioned to James and he nodded.

"Hermione, please stay with Lily for a moment." Hermione nodded and looked worriedly at Remus, who was getting hairier arms by the second. Lily collapsed onto a seat and Hermione sat on the arm of the chair and watched her quietly. James and Sirius pushed Remus out the door, and down the stairs. Hermione turned back to Lily and looked at her seriously.

"Lily, why on earth would you do this? James loves you." This only seemed to make Lily cry harder. Hermione though, was getting sick of this behavior. She stood abruptly and glared at Lily. "Lily, you could have resisted Remus! No one ever made you sleep with him! And if you can't realize how great James is, then that's your own problem! I'm not going to pity you any longer!" Lily's tears increased and she ran up to her bedroom. Hermione sat on the couch in front of the fireplace and glared at the fire for a few seconds before bursting into tears herself. Sirius and James walked in a few minutes later. Seeing that Lily and Hermione's conversation hadn't gone well, Sirius and James felt dreadful. James, not really wanting to see Lily at the moment, decided to comfort Hermione. Sirius, who didn't really want to see Lily either, was hesitant to go. He'd rather be with Hermione. However, he realized it wasn't right to make his friend go see the girl who broke his heart, so he went to go talk to Lily instead.

"Hermione, I'm sorry that I've put you through such an appalling situation. Naturally, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. And I don't know what to do, or what we're going to do. I don't know anymore!" He hugged Hermione tightly and started to silently cry again. Hermione, who still had tears running down her face, returned the hug. For minutes, the two just sat there and cried into each other's arms. Soon, their tears slowed, and then, they stopped crying. James pulled away and looked at Hermione. The flickering of the fireplace made her face glow shades of dark red, orange, and yellow. James wiped a tear away from Hermione's face, and leaned in. Hermione could only stare at James' eyes before he kissed her. Swiftly, she slapped him away. He winced and held his cheek tenderly, which was beginning to turn a light pink.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? James, you love Lily! Don't make the same mistake Lily made! You know you don't want to do this! If you want to kiss someone, kiss Lily! You know you love her! Don't confuse me with Lily! Don't use me just because I happen to be convienient at the time! Go talk to her, and see if you can work this out! You know Remus isn't himself during his transformations!" Hermione gasped and stopped. She clapped her hand over her mouth rapidly. James looked up from the ground and stared at Hermione in disbelief. "How do YOU know about that?" Hermione turned away from him and stared at the floor. She had been there for more than a month, and she knew it was wrong to keep a secret from them. Forget the rule of messing with time. Besides, there was little chance she would be able to get home anyway. Might as well try to help the people she loved.

"James, I have something to tell you."

* * *

Peter Pettigrew was pouring over a book on vampires and their behaviors for Defense Against the Dark Arts when Lucius Malfoy walked in. His air of grace and superiority could be felt by everyone, and even the librarian Madam Pince couldn't help but look at the handsome lad. He noticed little Peter devotedly working and smirked. Perhaps now was the time to ask him a few questions.

"Well, hello Peter Pettigrew! How are you?" Peter jumped in shock and looked up at Lucius with the same look as a deer caught in the headlights of a car. He felt extremely anxious whenever he was away from any of his friends. But Lucius Malfoy had always brought the stench of death and fear whenever he entered any room.

"Um, hello Lucius." Peter didn't understand this at all. Lucius was an extremely popular and good-looking Slytherin; why would he talk to Peter, the homely looking, little, unpopular Gryffindor? No one understood how he had even become friends with Sirius and James, the most popular Gryffindors in the school. So why would Lucius talk to him now? Peter remained suspicious, but tried to talk casually. Although it was always difficult for him to talk casually with his closest friends, let alone someone he didn't know.

"Why Peter, don't be shy! I just wanted to say hello!" Lucius smiled and patted Peter's head somewhat hesitantly, as if Peter was a piece of garbage. And in Lucius' view, Peter was a piece of garbage. If he could have avoided it, Lucius wouldn't even be caught dead near this…thing. However, he was needed if Lucius and the other Slytherins were going to kill James Potter and Sirius Black. As well as anyone who stood in their way.

"Peter, perhaps you and I could be friends. You always seemed like a kind little fellow." Peter felt his right hand shaking in fear, but he tried his best to hide it. Maybe this was Peter's chance into becoming more popular. Maybe he could have more friends, and not be as lonely! Yes, James, Sirius and Remus were good friends, but they were only three. But if he went into the company of Lucius, he could have fifty, maybe one hundred friends! Peter decided he'd give a friendship with Lucius a try.

"Yes Lucius, that sounds nice. Let's be friends." Peter held out his grubby hand and Lucius shook it with his thin, pale hands. He wrapped his thin fingers tightly around Peter's hand and smiled. "I'm glad we've reached an agreement."

* * *

Hermione finished explaining to James her circumstance, and James stared blankly at the fireplace. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. He knew though, that he wouldn't give up their friendship because of this. Yes, she had lied, but it was for a good reason. Before this, he had thought that there was never a good reason to lie. Nevertheless, Hermione had proved him wrong.

"'Mione, I'm not going to destroy our friendship over this. And I won't tell anyone else about this. But I do think you should tell the others. It'd be wrong not to. But, it's such an amazing story! That's how you knew what I looked like. Have you even seen Dumbledore yet?" Hermione shook her head sheepishly. "Nearly Headless Nick told me that Dumbledore was away on a trip." James smiled. "So that was how you knew ol' Nick! You were a Gryffindor!" Hermione smiled as well. "But that's not all." Hermione ran over to her cloak, which she had thrown haphazardly onto a nearby chair, and took her Head Girl badge out of her pocket. She brought it over and handed it to James. James ran his hand through his hair and leaned back, letting out a breath of air. "Wow 'Mione. You were Head Girl too."

Lily and Sirius walked down the stairs, fresh tear marks on Lily's face. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Sirius had his arm wrapped around her shoulders as he brought her downstairs. Lily looked at James, and Hermione watched Lily's hands twitch. Lily cleared her throat, licked her lips, and released her thoughts. "James, if I could, I would run to you and wrap my arms around you. I'd tell you everything was all right, that I love you, and that we'd never be apart from each other. But judging from your expression, it's probably better that I didn't. I should have tried to resist more fiercely than I did. I can't say I'm sorry because that won't change anything."

James stood and walked over to Lily slowly. She closed her eyes, fresh tears making their way down her face. He held out his hand and brushed her cheek gently. She opened her eyes gently and gasped as James gently kissed her on the lips. She let out a laugh and hugged him. Sirius and Hermione smiled and watched the couple rejoice.

"Hermione, maybe we should go check out the Halloween decorations." Hermione nodded, noticing the looks in James and Lily's faces. Sirius and Hermione quickly departed, running down the stairs in excitement. "Do you think those two will be okay?" Sirius stopped and grinned his normal boyish grin. "Of course. Those two always fix every problem they have. Besides, James cheated on Lily once." Hermione stared. Sirius chuckled. "It wasn't really anything serious though. Now that I think about it, I guess they weren't really dating at the time anyway, so it couldn't really be cheating. He dated a different girl in third year, and Lily got so jealous she hexed the poor girl." Hermione laughed, though she was secretly a little afraid. 'Maybe I should tell Sirius first about my situation.' Hermione stopped and gently grabbed Sirius' shirtsleeve. Sirius stopped.

"Sirius, I've been hiding something from you. I already told James, but I wanted to tell you now. Sirius, I…" Hermione was interrupted by bloodcurdling screams coming from the Great Hall. They exchanged looks before racing towards the door and pulling it open brusquely. They were met head on by stampeding students and teachers trying to tell everyone to calm down. Sirius pulled Hermione out of the way of the students, who were now pushing and screaming. Soon, the Great Hall was empty with a few exceptions. Hermione and Sirius cautiously entered the room, and were shocked at what greeted them.

A werewolf snarled at the teachers who had remained there, flecks of saliva flying across the room. Hermione and Sirius stopped in their tracks, Sirius tightly gripping Hermione's small shoulders. Hermione instantly had the uneasy feeling that she perhaps knew this werewolf. Teachers backed away in horror. They kept throwing stunning spells at it, but it only slowed down. It wouldn't stop. The werewolf flipped a table over, and as it shattered to pieces, the werewolf came bounding towards the door. Hermione had frozen to the spot, and Sirius attempted to move her away. She started crying when suddenly a large black dog appeared and pushed the werewolf away, biting into his flesh and tearing bits of brown fur away. Hermione came out of her stupor and realized that Sirius was no longer beside her. She could only watch as the werewolf, which she knew must be Remus, and Sirius fought.

* * *

Peter, Severus, and Lucius hid on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Peter wrapped himself tightly in his black cloak. He wasn't exactly sure as to why he was here, but Lucius had told him to come, so he came. However, the moment he saw Severus, he held up his nose in disgust. "What's Snivellus doing here?" Severus glared at Peter and whipped out his wand, but Lucius held him back. "Now really, calm down Severus. And Peter, I suggest that you apologize to him. He's the one who's going to lead us." Peter looked at Lucius with confusion written over his face. "Lead us? Lead us with what?" Lucius smiled. "With our plan. Oh, didn't I tell you? We're going to murder James Potter and Sirius Black. We would murder Remus Lupin, but he's such a helpful asset." Peter shook in fear. "Why are you going to kill them? And how is Remus helpful to you?" Severus grinned, running a hand through his oily hair. Peter knew that all of the Slytherins hated James and Sirius with a passion, but he didn't think that they would actually murder them. And the way Lucius said it so casually chilled Peter to the bone.

"Well, why should we tell you? You haven't done anything to help us as of yet. Maybe we should give you something to do." Lucius handed a scroll to Peter. Peter took it hesitantly and looked at it as if it were a bomb. "W-What is this?" Lucius grinned, his canine teeth flashing in the moonlight. "This is our plan. Make sure you don't lose it." Peter nodded and tucked the scroll down his shirt.

* * *

Hermione fell to the floor in a pile, Sirius lying away in a bloody heap. Remus walked towards her, Sirius' blood dripping from his claws. Hermione tried to remember all she had learned about werewolves in the past, but she could only draw a blank. Though she knew that when in a werewolf state, the person forgot the identities of everyone they loved. 'So Remus won't remember who Sirius is. Or who I am.' Even though this thought frightened her, she knew she had to at least try to save Remus. Shakily, she stood, and stared at Remus.

"Remus, please! Stop your bloody rampage!" She charged at him, her wand gripped tightly in her hand. He let out a low roar and hurtled himself at her. She threw her arms around his torso, saliva dripping onto her hair. She could feel his hot, musty breath on her neck. She thrust her wand in front of his torso and screamed, "STUPEFY!" He flew backwards, destroying yet another table in the process. She fell back to the floor and dropped her wand. Tears fell and Hermione's sobs reverberated against the Great Hall walls. The teachers, who had huddled together, stood, and rushed to Hermione. Sirius turned back into a human and crawled over to her, a large gash on his arm. He winced but his grin never left his face. "Hermione, you did really well. I'm so proud of you." Lily and James entered, Lily's face flushed and James with a proud grin. When they saw the path of destruction in the Great Hall though, their smiles faded and their concern grew. Lily ran to Hermione, and James attempted to run to Remus. However, the teachers intervened and James could only curse as he walked back to the others.

Quickly, the school nurse was brought and she took Sirius to the infirmary. He winked at Hermione and she blushed and turned away. James and Lily hugged Hermione tightly. McGonagall looked at Hermione though and frowned. "Weren't you supposed to be back home by now?" Hermione's lips quivered and McGonagall sighed. "How about this? Tomorrow, you come to my office and tell me the truth, all right?" Hermione nodded and silent tears fell again. McGonagall nodded at James and Lily and they helped Hermione stand, taking her to the dorms.

When they finally reached their destination, Hermione had stopped crying and she was just rubbing at her puffy eyes. Lily led her up to her room and Hermione lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She waited for everyone to sleep before sneaking into James' room and taking the invisibility cloak. She quickly ran to the infirmary, ignoring the ghosts and Mrs. Norris' sharp yellow eyes. She stopped in front of the infirmary door and sighed.

'Should I really go in? Would Sirius want to see me? After all, it's my fault he even was injured. Maybe he really doesn't want me to come visit him.' She shook her head and smiled. 'No, Sirius isn't like that! He's so much nicer than that.' She gripped the cool metal doorknob and turned it. For some reason, simple noises like a turning doorknob always sounded louder when you weren't supposed to make them. She winced and slowly opened the door, which made loud creaking noises. She closed it sharply and leaned against it, wiping her clammy forehead.

She walked over to the only occupied bed and sat down, moonlight flooding from the window onto Sirius' face. She removed the cloak and threw it over the back of her chair. She held out her hand hesitantly before brushing away a few stray locks of his long raven hair. She jumped slightly when he opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at her. He grasped her hand lightly and she blushed. He motioned for her to lean in and she complied.

"I'm glad you're here 'Mione. Thanks." He kissed her gently on the cheek and Hermione hugged him tightly. He recoiled in pain and she apologized rapidly. He waved it away. "'Mione, this is the best pain I could ask for." He brushed his calloused hand against her cheek and kissed her softly. She kissed him back, one of her hands running through his hair. He pulled her closer, a hand running down her back. His arm was in pain, but by this point, he couldn't care less. Sadly, he pulled away and watched Hermione catch her breath. Her mind felt fuzzy, and she wasn't sure as to watch she should do. She had loved Ron, in the past, but she wasn't even sure if she would ever see him again. Moreover, here was a boy who obviously liked her, and she didn't really mind his company either.

"So Hermione? Will you go out with me?" Hermione bit her bottom lip and nodded, a light blush covering her face. He hugged her gently and she smiled, burying her face into his shoulder. For a few moments they stayed like this, until Hermione broke the silence.

"You said you'd ask for my permission before you kissed me again. Now we can't be best friends." Sirius looked up at her with distraught on his face. Hermione grinned slyly. "No, we can be the best couple though." He wrapped his hand in some of her hair and smiled before closing his eyes and drifting into a deep sleep. Hermione soon followed, her head slowly falling to Sirius' chest.

* * *

The sun had barely risen when Hermione awakened. She was met with the dull light of the sun. Hermione rubbed her eyes and sat up. The first thing she noticed was that she was here, and had slept on Sirius' chest. Memories of last night flooded into her head and she blushed a bright red, hiding her face in her hands. She realized that she would be found here if she didn't leave soon, so she went to reach for the cloak and wrap it around herself. However, just as she touched the smooth fabric, Nearly Headless Nick popped up from the floor. Hermione resisted the urge to scream and fell backward onto Sirius' body. He jolted awake and glared at Hermione before noticing Nick.

"Well here you are Hermione! I've been looking for you all night! I didn't think I'd find you here though. And what's this? What a fine young man!" Sirius scowled and Nick let out a hearty laugh. "My, don't make such a sour face at me! I have some news for Hermione!" Hermione felt as though her breath had stopped. She stood and walked over to Nick. "Please Nick, what's happening over there?" Nick's face darkened. "I'll tell you Hermione. But not all of it is good."

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 4

* * *

**

**A/N**: WOW. A lot of this was spur of the moment writing, so don't blame me if you don't like it. Nevertheless, I have to say, it's getting very interesting couple wise! Well, we'll have to see who ends up together. (Although you already know, Remus and Hermione will). And what's going on in Hermione's time? SO! I will respond to a review! Oh, and if I don't respond to you review, it's probably because you haven't given me anything intellectual to work with, you just compliment the story (which I do like) or you just don't review.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Lion in a Cage**

**By Sashi Mizumoto**

**A/N: **I've been lazy in updating recently, and I'm sorry. My computer down, I was sick, my birthday came and went, Christmakuh was here, I have my permit, etc. Also, I was having a bit of writer's block, as you may see reflected in this chapter. And I swear, this is developing into a larger plot. Just as a hint, pay attention to those little Lucius/Peter moments going on. They're important later. :D

**Dedication:** To Laura, who gave me a very nice birthday present.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would demand that I play the role of Hermione in the movies.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5

* * *

**

Hermione set herself next to Sirius while he sat up properly. Nick floated before them, a somber look gracing his face. He stared down at the floor, as if wanting to avoid having this conversation. After a few moments of an awkward silence, he began telling Hermione of the things he had seen...

"When I first went back to the Gryffindor Common Room, I thought I was somewhere entirely different. It was so much darker than I had remembered it, and I quickly noticed the Slytherin colors adorning the walls instead of the warm golden and scarlet colors of Gryffindor.

I looked where I could, but I was not able to find any of the Gryffindor students. However, I found that disgusting little weasel, Draco Malfoy, sitting in front of the fireplace. He was sipping on a glass of butterbeer nonchalantly, as if he was a ruler of a kingdom. I hid myself behind one of the hung tapestries that had been put up which bore the Slytherin emblem. I watched him for a few minutes, just sipping and staring into the fireplace.

Soon, a group of students came into the room, sporting Slytherin robes. They dragged both Harry and Ronald in with them. I am sorry to say, Hermione, that they looked absolutely dreadful. Harry and Ronald were both covered in dark black-blue bruises, and blood caked their pallid skin. I could only watch as they were thrown to the ground carelessly. I wanted to help them, but there was nothing I could really do.

They couldn't even really move. Harry let out a low moan and Malfoy quickly stood and kicked him squarely in the stomach. Harry coughed up blood, and Ronald shook. His face was contorted with rage, and he tried to lift his hand. He curled it into a fist and brought it down on Malfoy's foot. However, it was a weak little hit, and Malfoy just laughed at him."

Hermione, with tears rolling down her face, stared at Nick blankly. "P-Please stop Nick. No more. I don't want to hear anymore right now!" She covered her ears with her hands, and Sirius rubbed her back in comfort. Nick looked at the ground in discomfort. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm so sorry Hermione… I'll come back in a few days and tell you the rest…" He bowed at the couple before leaving the room. Sirius stared after Nick for a moment before turning his attention back to Hermione.

"'Mione, I don't know who these people are, but, I'm not going to lie to you. They don't sound as if they are entirely all right…"

Hermione smacked away his hand and stood. She glared at him, angrily wiping away the tears that didn't seem to fade. "How could you say something like that? That's such a horrible and insensitive thing… I can't even talk with you right now!" She stomped out of the infirmary, going back to the common room. They had only been together officially for only a few hours, and they had already had their first large fight.

* * *

Hermione picked at her breakfast, nothing really entering her mouth. Mostly it either fell off the fork before it reached her mouth or it missed her mouth and went into the side of her face. 'Ugh, I can't even talk to Remus about our fight either. He's not here!' She didn't want to talk to Peter either. She knew it was not wise to tell him anything.

"Hermione, I'm not exactly sure what to say, but…" Hermione snapped out of her reverie to meet the eyes of Har-James. Attached to his arm fiercely was Lily, her red hair tied up in a loose ponytail. Hermione was not sure whether or not James had told Lily about their near kiss, but Lily was definitely paranoid this morning, clinging to James and glaring at any girl who tried to approach him. Her thoughts returned to James, who had a worried glimmer in his eyes.

"It's all right James. You don't have to say anything." Hermione smiled, and James gave an appreciative nod. He turned to Lily and just as he was about to speak, he was tapped on the shoulder. Annoyed that someone had interrupted his time with Lily, he turned sharply and, with a glare, was about to throw a disgusting insult when he realized it was Professor McGonagall. His expression changed immediately, from anger to what looked like anxiety. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and looked darkly down at the trio.

"Tonight, the three of you are to meet in my office. I am afraid we must…discuss… this incident involving Mister Black." Hermione's thoughts seemed to fly out of her head and she froze. She had completely forgotten that the teachers had seen Sirius transform into his Animagus form. Professor McGonagall disappeared as quickly as she had come. Hermione scowled.

'This is what I get for traveling back in time. Sirius wasn't expelled before! He would have mentioned something this important to Harry. And he changed to save me…' Hermione's face flushed. 'Why would he do that? I barely know him! This isn't 'Romeo and Juliet'! Love at first sight doesn't really exist!' She glared at her utensils, feeling as though if she glowered for a long period of time, they would spontaneously com bust.

* * *

Remus opened his eyes groggily, meeting with pain the instant he moved just a bit. He could feel the dampness of blood clinging to his skin and the hair was plastered to his forehead from his heavy perspiration. As his vision cleared, he gasped, which resulted in heavy chest pains. For some reason, he was in the Infirmary!

'This is not good. Someone found out. Someone knows I'm a werewolf.' He attempted to sit himself up, but his arm buckled and he fell back down to the bed. He winced, a giant pain circulating up and down his body. 'This isn't good at all. What's going on? I need to find out.' He turned his head back and forth slowly, wincing at the pain that reached his neck. As a door opened and the hinges squeaked a bit, his eyes quickly traveled over to the person.

'Hermione...'

Thinking she had come to see him, he started to sit up, but stopped when Hermione passed him and went to the bed next to him, which was surrounded by a tall curtain. She threw it back, and there was Sirius. He slowly awakened and smiled gently when she appeared. Remus watched as Hermione bent down to hug him and he turned away and closed his eyes.

'Why is Sirius here? Did I hurt him last night? And are they dating? Well, good for Sirius!'

His thoughts paused and he slightly drew the sheets around him.

'But am I jealous? She's one of my best friends after all. But...'

Remus stopped breathing when Hermione came to check on him. Slowly, he began to breathe again, to pretend he was sleeping. She pushed a few strands of hair from his eyes and sighed. She bent down near his face, and he could feel her warm, vanilla scented breath on his cheeks.

"Oh Remus, this isn't fair... Don't worry, your transformations will be a bit more bearable soon, I promise..." She gently ran her fingers through his bangs before going back to Sirius, who was now asleep again. Remus opened his eyes a bit and blushed, twirling a piece of hair between two fingers.

'She knows about my transformations! How does she know? I have to ask her.'

Remus grunted as he sat up, and Hermione gasped. She turned quickly and smiled kindly when she realized it was just Remus. She moved next to him.

"Oh good, you're awake! They found you passed out in the common room!" Remus glared at her and took out his wand.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Hermione looked taken aback, and stared down at the tiled floor. "I'm Hermione Granger. And I'm from the future."

By the time she had finished explaining everything, night had fallen, and the stars were out. Remus looked at Hermione as if she had grown an extra head.

"So, you're...?"

Before he could finish his sentence, James and Lily raced into the Infirmary.

"Hermione, we have to get to McGonagall's office. It's time to talk about Sirius." Hermione nodded towards them gravely and she turned back to Remus. "Remus, I swear, we'll talk later." Remus looked at her in confusion. "Why do you have to talk to McGonagall about Sirius?" Hermione tensed and looked rather uneasy. Deciding that it would probably be best if she told him, she did.

"Sirius transformed in front of the teachers. He saved me. From you." Remus instantly paled and reached for her hand delicately. "How could I have attacked you? I was in the Shrieking Shack!" Hermione turned towards James and Lily, then back to Remus. "Look, please, can you wait for an explanation? We have to leave." She stood abruptly and turned when he grabbed her wrist. The strength of his grip almost caused her to fall, but he stood and caught her. He let out a wince of pain and Hermione gasped. James had to repress a chuckle, since their position reminded him of a couple on a poster for some sort for romance movie.

Remus bent down until his face was about an inch from hers. Hermione gasped and a bright blush covered her cheeks. She had rarely been that close to a boy, and Remus' eyes were stunning after all. Hermione wondered if a bit of the werewolf in him was still left over. After all, he had just changed back earlier that morning.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me more. I'm not going to let you just run at the worst part of the story." Hermione squirmed and squeezed her eyes shut. "Remus, you have to understand. We need to see McGonagall! And Sirius is too ill to explain this to you! It'd be cruel to ask him to!" A light trickle of tears started to run down her cheeks.

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. He looked down at her, and at her tear stained face. Inwardly, he cursed. 'Damn werewolf instincts, making me act wonky.' He kissed her on the forehead gently and released her.

"Tell me when you get back."

Hermione brushed her fingers against her forehead gently and blushed. "All right. I promise."

* * *

Hermione, James, and Lily sat down in the chairs that McGonagall pointed at. Quickly, they set themselves down, and McGonagall walked around them in silence for a minute, as if studying her prey before attacking.

"How long have you three known of Sirius' Animagus form?" They squirmed uncomfortably, but none answered. McGonagall smirked. "Of course, I shouldn't expect an answer from any of you. However, if you can't tell me anything about this situation, I will have no choice but to expel Sirius Black for illegal activity." This statement caused an uproar from the three.

"You can't do that!"

"No! We won't let you!"

"I love him! Don't hurt him!"

Everyone stopped and turned to Hermione. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she stood angrily. "That's right! I love Sirius Black! And I won't let anyone hurt him! Whether it be physically or mentally! So, Professor McGonagall, I will do anything in my power to save him from you!" Hermione took a few deep breaths and fell back down into her seat.

'I stood up against a teacher! I'll be expelled! But if Sirius is too, at least we can be together...'

McGonagall looked at the three students for a moment, the glaring James and Lily and the near sobbing Hermione. She sighed in defeat and waved towards James and Lily. "You two, leave for a moment." James and Lily looked towards Hermione, then back at McGonagall. "No. We won't leave our friend." Hermione looked at them for a few moments.

'I can't let them get into any more trouble.'

"Guys, please leave." James and Lily looked at Hermione. "W-What?" Hermione turned to them with a serious expression on her face.

"You guys need to leave. I won't let you get into anymore trouble. Please, leave." Lily and James looked at her for a few more silent seconds before standing.

"Good luck Hermione."

The door closed, and Hermione was left with McGonagall. For a few minutes, the two sat in silence, and Hermione was reminded of a calm before the storm. It lasted for a few seconds, and it caused people to let their guards down. And then they were hit.

"Care to explain yourself?" Hermione looked up at McGonagall and nodded.

* * *

James and Lily paced outside of McGonagall's office, anxiety building inside of them as time passed.

"James, do you think Hermione's all right?" James looked at Lily. "Of course she is! It is Hermione after all!" And even though James expected this to comfort him, it didn't. However, his fears flew away when the door opened and Hermione walked out. She hugged her friends and smiled.

"Let's go back to see Sirius and Remus." James and Lily asked her for information on the way to the Infirmary, like how she had gotten everyone out of trouble. But Hermione wouldn't say a word. At least, not yet. She decided that she would though. And soon.

Remus was sitting on the edge of his bed when they came in, and he stood abruptly. His injuries stung and throbbed, but he ignored it.

"Hermione, sit. Now." Hermione glared at Remus. "I'm not a dog you know." However, she complied and sat down on the chair closest to him. "Tell me who you are Hermione." Sirius sat up and leaned forward, curious as to which direction this conversation would take.

"Like I said, I'm Hermione Granger." She looked anxiously over at James and twirled her fingers nervously. "But, I'm also from the future."

Silence hung over the friends, and the flabbergasted Remus was the first to speak.

"And you expect us to believe that?" Hermione gasped and looked up at Remus. "Of course I do! Why would I lie to you? And don't you think I would come up with something better than that?" Hermione felt anger bubbling up inside of her. "I haven't done anything to tarnish my name yet, right? And how else would I know about Remus' condition?" At this point, James clamped his hand over Hermione's mouth and everyone stared at him. He whispered, "Lily doesn't know about Remus yet!"

Remus stared at Hermione. "Let me look at you for a minute." Hermione slowly inched towards him and Sirius sat up cautiously, ready to get up if Hermione needed him. Remus grabbed Hermione's chin and brought her face close to his. She gasped and waited quietly as Remus looked into her eyes. She could feel tears of fear in her eyes as her anxiety grew. She was about to pull away when Remus' fingers slid away from her face. Sirius slid off his bed and wobbled over to her. Hermione caught him in her arms as he fell to the floor. Remus leaned back and stared at her for a few more seconds with a cold expression before smiling.

"She's not lying." He let out a sigh of relief and leaned forward in interest. "What time period are you from 'Mione?" James perked and grinned. "Are there flying automobiles? Food in pill form?" Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled a bit. She was just glad that she was friends with such good people.

"No James, there are no flying automobiles. And no, there's no food in pill form. Sorry to disappoint you." James awed in sadness and Hermione chuckled. For a few hours, Hermione discussed with them about the future, talking mainly about herself and her parents. She did remember to leave out Harry and Ron, though she desperately wanted to tell James about Harry. She wanted to tell him about the sweet and gentle son he'd have with the woman he loved. But she couldn't do it. She wasn't brave enough to risk everything for a spare moment of joy.

* * *

Peter opened the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room and ushered the two cloaked figures in. Floorboards creaked and Lucius shot a dirty glare at Peter. Peter mouthed an apology before continuing along. He pointed up the boy's stairwell and took out the scroll of paper that Lucius had given him earlier. He gingerly opened the door to James' Head Boy bedroom and placed it on the bed carefully. Quickly, Peter ran down the stairs again and Lucius and Severus followed him out of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Well Pettigrew, it seems as though you may have some uses after all." Severus sneered down at Peter and Peter inwardly grimaced. Severus was naturally an unpleasant person to look at, but when he scrunched up his nose like that...

Lucius patted him on the back with his gloved hand. "Of course he does Severus! He's a great friend!" He bent down to Peter and grinned. "You did a very good job Peter. And of course, you'll be rewarded." He dug into his back pant pocket and pulled out a small brown satchel. "Here's some Galleons for you to spend in Hogsmeade next week. Go buy yourself some candy from Honeyduke's." Peter opened the satchel and gasped at the large pile of glittering coins. "But Lucius, are you sure this is all right?" Lucius smirked coolly.

"Of course it is little Pettigrew. Of course. You've done a great favor for me. Now, go back to the Common Room and do that research I need, all right? Severus and I have to go back to our own Common Room to change out of our robes. Go have some fun." Peter nodded enthusiastically and ran back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Lucius stared after Peter and delicately slid his black satin gloves off. He threw them at Severus and gave him a frosty glare.

"Burn my gloves. I can't wear them anymore. That little beast dirtied them."

* * *

As the friends headed towards the door to leave the Infirmary, James hung back a bit to talk to Sirius. He clutched a piece of fabric in his hand. "Oy, Padfoot. If you feel like visiting us, use this." He handed Sirius the invisibility cloak and winked. "Maybe you'll want to come see Hermione for some pity sex or something while you're ill." Sirius smacked James over the head with his good arm. "I'll come tonight. So you better stay out of 'Mione's room." James grinned slyly. "Why Padfoot, whatever would I be doing in her room?" Sirius smirked and patted him awkwardly on the arm. "Like I said, I'll be there tonight. I just have to get past that damn nurse."

James, Lily and Hermione waved happily to Remus and Sirius as they left the Infirmary. For hours, the friends had talked about themselves, talking of their pasts. Hermione was glad that she had gotten to know a bit more about Sirius, but she still didn't know him that well. She was excited and eager to learn more though.

The trio entered the Common Room in laughter after a particularly funny joke that James told. They sat down by the fireplace and watched the fire flicker. Hermione sighed as they quieted down and she settled herself into the red plush couch in front of the fireplace. She looked over lazily at the mahogany bookcase, and wanted to take out the book she had been reading over the last few days. However, the comfortable suede fabric of the couch, the warmth of the fireplace, and the cinnamon aroma wafting through the Tower made her feel exhausted. Her eyes drifted shut, but her mind was screaming at her to stay awake. Something was wrong, and she knew she had to wake up. But she could not be risen from her deep slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile, James and Lily were up in James' room, sitting together on his bed. James mentally cheered as he leaned in and kissed her. As he continued with multiple kisses, his eyes trailed away from Lily's delicate face over to a scroll of paper placed on his bed. He pulled away from Lily, who let out a little "Aw!" of disappointment.

"Hey, what's this?" Lily shrugged and looked over James' shoulder in curiosity. "I don't know. Open it!" James turned to Lily and smiled. "All right, all right! Jeez, you're like a little kid at Christmas time." Lily blushed and looked at the scroll. James slowly slid the crimson ribbon that had been tied around it away, and as it slowly fell to the bedsheets, he opened the scroll. A bright light flashed quickly through the room, and Lily and James screamed before passing out.

Hermione awakened when she felt herself being slapped fiercely on the cheek and a male voice called out to her. Her eyes fluttered open and she felt tears at the corners of her eyes. Sirius stopped slapping her, and Hermione cradled her cheek as a stinging pain spread. She glared up at Sirius.

"Why the hell did you slap me Sirius? And what are you doing here anyway? You should be resting!" Sirius covered her mouth with his hand and she squirmed underneath his towering figure. Hermione squeaked and blushed as the heat from his hand traveled over her lips. To get him to remove his hand, she gently licked the palm of his hand. He flinched and instantly pulled away. He stumbled back and blushed a bright red.

"Hermione you idiot, lower your voice!" His voice was a rough whisper, and he stared at her in anxiety. "I came here to see you, but this is not good! We need to get Lily and James to the Infirmary." Hermione quickly stood from the chair and tensed. "Sirius, what's going on?" Sirius grabbed Hermione's hand and led her upstairs to James' room. He kicked opened the door and Hermione gasped as she saw the limp bodies of James and Lily.

"What happened?" She looked at Sirius with fright in her eyes and tears rolling down her cheeks. Sirius bent down to help the two sit up properly. "I don't exactly know. James had given me his cloak earlier so I could give you a surprise visit tonight. When I came in here, I found you passed out on the couch. I thought you were just sleeping, but it turned out that you were put under a sleeping curse." Hermione gasped. "Was that the odd cinnamon smell that passed through here?" Sirius nodded. "I tried to wake you up by shaking you, but it wouldn't work. I went to go check on James and Lily, and found them passed out. I also found this scroll." He held up the scroll by the tips of his fingers and Hermione gently took it in hers. "What could this mean?" As she stared intently at it, she could feel her eyes drifting shut again. Her vision blurred and Sirius grabbed it away from her. She fell to the floor, and leaned against the wall while grasping her forehead.

"I feel so sick... What's going on?" Sirius bent down and she laid against his chest. He looked down at her face and watched her breathe deeply for a few moments, a thin layer of sweat running down her face onto her neck. He frowned deeply before leaning down and touching his forehead against hers. She gasped, and looked up at him, though her vision was still somewhat blurry. Gently, he took his arm out of the sling and winced. He took his hands and placed his cool palms against Hermione's warm cheeks. She felt herself blush and she closed her eyes in comfort. For a few moments they stayed in this position until Hermione's breathing returned to normal and the sweat dried a bit. She shakily stood and stared at the scroll, then at James and Lily.

"What's going on?"

* * *

Hermione had gone with Sirius back to the Infirmary before going to the nurse and begging for help. James and Lily were carried to the Infirmary and were being treated. Hermione had left out the part of her being ill though, and had hidden the scroll. She simply claimed that she had found them collapsed when she had awakened from her nap. As she waited in the Common Room, she stared at the scroll, which she had placed on the table in front of her. Just as she reached out to remove it, the scent of cinnamon sneaked into the room again. Hermione stood up quickly and struggled to run to the door to leave, but collapsed just before she reached it. As she closed her eyes, three figures appeared before her, and she felt herself being lifted into someone's arms.

* * *

When Hermione awakened, she tried to sit up quickly only to have rope cut into her flesh. She bit down and prevented herself from squeaking in pain. She looked around as her vision cleared and saw that she was in a small cabin. From the noises outside, she gathered that she must be in the Forbidden Forest. He turned her head a bit and saw that Severus and Lucius were sitting at the nearby table playing Wizard Chess. Severus slowly turned towards her and frowned. He spoke in whispers to Lucius who turned towards her and gave her a cat like smirk. They both stood and walked towards her slowly.

Lucius bent down, as did Severus. "Well little girl, it's too bad you woke up. Though this does give us the chance to talk." He smirked and turned towards Severus. "Will you please hand me my gloves, Severus?" He nodded and glared at Hermione before digging them out of his pocket and handing them to him. Lucius slowly put them on before taking Hermione's chin in his cold, thin fingers. Hermione squirmed under his intense gaze and wished that her wand was in her pocket right now. However, Severus was now playing with it idly, twirling it around in his fingers.

"We will let you live if you help us kill Potter and Black." Hermione stared at Lucius for a few seconds before spitting in his face. "I would never betray my friends! I love them!" Lucius glared at Hermione before slapping her. She fell to the ground and tears stung her eyes. "How dare you, you filthy creature! I wouldn't be surprised if you were a Mudblood." Hermione smirked. "I am, you bastard!" Lucius kicked her squarely in the stomach and this time, she could not hold back the cry of pain. Severus leaned against the wall next to her, looking very bored indeed. Hermione felt a sharp pain run through her chest. 'My ribs must be broken! No!' Hermione stared up at Lucius and he plucked away a stray hair that had escaped from his ponytail when he had attacked her in rage.

"You filthy Mudblood. You spit at me. And you'll have to pay for that." He slowly took his wand out of his pocket and pointed it squarely at her. "Ava-"

Just as he was about to give Hermione the Killing Curse, the door burst open in a large cloud of smoke. Hermione tried to move to see who it was, but could not boost herself off the ground. However, a clean voice did go through her ears.

"Lucius, keep away from Hermione!"

Hermione gasped. "Remus!"

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 5

* * *

**

**A/N: **Well! That definitely turned out a lot different than I had expected it to! Oh well. And I'm sorry I haven't updated for a long time. Inspiration hasn't visited me in awhile. I hope to have the next chapter up soon!


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